Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is a malignant tumor that originates in the esophagus. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type, and progressive difficulty swallowing is its main clinical symptom. Based on histopathology, it can be classified into three types: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this condition falls within the category of “Ye Ge” (dysphagia and esophageal obstruction).

TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference

|Common Symptoms

Clinical Description:

Food passes with difficulty and swallowing is not smooth. There may be occasional uncomfortable belching, a feeling of fullness and oppression in the chest and epigastrium, dull pain, and dry mouth. The tongue is pale red with a white, greasy coating; the pulse is fine and wiry.

In Plain Language:

  • Food is difficult to swallow.
  • Swallowing feels somewhat difficult.
  • Frequent belching and discomfort in the chest.
  • A feeling of tightness in the chest, sometimes with a dull ache.
  • The mouth tends to feel dry.
  • The tongue is pale red with a white, greasy coating.
  • The pulse is fine and wiry, suggesting in TCM terms possible phlegm and Qi stagnation and disharmony of the spleen and stomach.

|Treatment Approach

Clinical Description:

Relieve constraint and direct Qi downward; transform phlegm and disperse nodules.

In Plain Language:

  • Use methods that ease stagnation and direct “rising Qi” downward to help Qi flow smoothly and ease discomforts such as chest tightness, distension in the sides of the torso, frequent sighing, throat tightness, and upper abdominal fullness.
  • Use methods to transform thick phlegm and dampness and disperse accumulations, which may make phlegm easier to expectorate and relieve problems such as cough with abundant phlegm, a phlegm or foreign-body sensation in the throat, localized hardness or a lump-like sensation, and chest distension and pain.

|Related Products

The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.

|Common Symptoms

Clinical Description:

Difficulty swallowing, pain in the chest and back, and, in severe cases, difficulty even swallowing water. Food is vomited soon after eating, with vomitus resembling soybean milk. The stools are dry and hard; urine is dark yellow. The body becomes thin, and the skin is rough and dry. The tongue is dark red and may have little moisture or show ecchymotic patches or spots; the coating is yellow and white. The pulse is fine and rough, or fine and slippery.

In Plain Language:

  • Difficulty swallowing, with pain in the chest and back.
  • In severe cases, even drinking water may be difficult.
  • Food is vomited soon after eating; the vomit looks like soybean milk.
  • Stools are dry and hard to pass.
  • Urine is dark yellow.
  • Weight loss and dry, rough skin.
  • The tongue is dark red with little moisture, or has ecchymotic patches or spots.
  • The tongue coating is yellow and white.
  • The pulse is fine and rough or fine and slippery, which in TCM terms may indicate blood and Qi stagnation and insufficient Yin fluids.

|Treatment Approach

Clinical Description:

Dispel blood stasis and disperse nodules; transform phlegm and resolve toxins.

In Plain Language:

  • Use methods to gradually disperse blood stasis and break up accumulations, helping blood and Qi flow more smoothly and easing discomforts such as distension and pain or stabbing pain, tenderness to pressure, and localized hardness or a lump-like sensation.
  • Use methods to transform thick phlegm and dampness and clear turbid pathogenic factors from the body, easing problems such as cough with abundant phlegm, sticky phlegm that is difficult to expectorate, a red, swollen, and painful throat, bad breath, or localized redness, swelling, warmth, and pain.

|Related Products

The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Follow the product packaging and instructions, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.

References

  1. Li Zejian. Practical Clinical Thoracic Surgery [M]. Beijing: Science and Technology Literature Press, 2007.
  2. Zong Hong, Chang Lin, Li Jiansheng. Esophageal malignancies [J]. Chinese Journal of Practical Internal Medicine, 2010, 30(8): 689-691.
  3. Ribeirou J, Posner MC, Safatle-Ribeiro AV, et al. Risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus[J]. Br J Surg，1996，83(9)：1174-1185.
  4. Yang Juan, Ainiwaer Aimudula, Zhang Yuefen, et al. Statistical analysis of 8,713 cases of digestive system malignancies [J]. Chinese Medical Record, 2014(11): 56-57.
  5. China Association of Chinese Medicine. TCM Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Esophageal Cancer (Draft) [Z]. 2007.
  6. Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2015 Edition) [M]. Beijing: China Medical Science Press, 2015.