Ailments & Conditions

Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer that You Should Know

Painful Swallowing and Unintentional Weight Loss

In addition to difficulty swallowing, you may also feel pain while eating something. While this symptom is not as common as others, it would cause many problems in daily life. The pain often occurs when you swallow solid foods. In worse cases, even semisolid or liquid foods may also be blocked by the tumor. When cancer results in an open sore in the esophagus’s lining, you may also feel pain when ingested foods come in contact with the sore. [3]

Since you may find it harder to swallow food and suffer from pain while eating, it is not uncommon for people with esophageal cancer to lose weight unintentionally. Also, cancerous cells may use up a lot of energy generated by the body, thus affect the metabolic rate. If you notice a loss of more than 5 percent of the body weight in the period of 6 to 12 months, inform your healthcare provider immediately. [4]