Oesophageal Cancer is sometimes misdiagnosed as Achalasia

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Achalasia, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Oesophageal Cancer.

Oesophageal cancer is generally two different type of cancer; squamous cell carcinoma (top of the oesophagus) and adenocarcinoma (bottom of the oesophagus near the stomach). Symptoms include new heartburn, difficult or painful swallowing, vomit that has blood in it, reflux that does not go away, black or bloody stool, fatigue, feeling of choking and unexplained weight loss. Other conditions that share similar symptoms are oesophageal varices (enlarged veins), achalasia (nerve damage to oesophagus), reflux, ulcers, booerhaave syndrome, and esophageal diverticulum. Oesophageal cancer is rare and slow growing but patients only have a five year survival rate of 22% so quick diagnosis is crucial to survival.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Reflux that doesn’t go away, bloody vomit, black or bloody stools, difficult or painful swallowing, new heartburn, unexplained fatigue, feeling of choking when swallowing, discomfort in the upper abdomen when eating, weight loss

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

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