Is a love of hot food the biggest risk factor for patients with esophageal cancer?

Relationship between hot food and esophageal cancer

1. Damage mechanism

High-temperature food or drinks above 65℃ (such as hot tea, hot pot, hot soup, etc.) will directly burn the esophageal mucosa. Repeated scalding can lead to chronic inflammation of the mucosa, and gene mutations may occur in cells during the repair process, increasing the risk of cancer (mainly squamous cell carcinoma).

2. Risk level

WHO lists "drinking hot drinks above 65℃" as a Class 2A carcinogen (probably carcinogenic to humans).

Epidemiological data show that the risk of esophageal cancer in people who eat hot food for a long time is 2-4 times higher than that of ordinary people.

3. Temperature threshold

It is recommended that the food temperature be controlled below 60℃ (the tolerance limit of the human oral cavity and esophageal mucosa is about 50-60℃).

In addition to the symptoms becoming more severe and lasting longer, the patient with esophageal cancer went to the gastrointestinal hepatobiliary clinic for further upper gastrointestinal endoscopic gastroscopy, which revealed symptoms such as gastroesophageal reflux and gastric ulcers. A very inconspicuous dark red lesion of about 2 cm in the middle of the esophagus was also found, combined with a small polyp of about 0.3 cm.

Later, after regular treatment, the patient received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Subsequent CT and positron emission tomography revealed suspected lymph node metastasis. Finally, the patient was referred for surgical resection and continued to be followed up in the gastrointestinal hepatobiliary clinic.

The esophagus is a tubular muscle structure about 20 cm long, located between the trachea and the spine. When swallowing, the esophagus will continue to peristalsis to push food to the stomach. It is the only way for food to enter the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth. According to statistics, the 5-year survival rate of esophageal cancer is only 12% to 15%, 60% to 70% for the first stage, 40% for the second stage, 20% for the third stage, and less than 5% for the fourth stage.

Men are 10 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer than women, and it is more difficult to detect in the early stages

Among them, the probability of men developing esophageal cancer is 10 times that of women, and the age is mostly between 55 and 65 years old. Esophageal cancer is mainly divided into 2 types. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of esophageal cancer, and has a large overlap with the oral cancer group; adenocarcinoma accounts for less than 10% of esophageal cancer, mainly occurring in the lower third of the esophagus and is related to gastric acid reflux and Barrett's esophagus.

Experts remind: Risk factors for esophageal cancer include smoking, drinking, chewing betel nuts, eating hot food, pickled food, or patients with long-term gastroesophageal reflux. Doctors say that when esophageal cancer is discovered, most of them are already in the middle and late stages. Only less than 1 in 10 esophageal cancer patients are diagnosed with early stage cancer at the time of initial diagnosis. Because it hardly causes any physical discomfort in the early stage, it is often ignored.

Symptom 1: "The tumor has blocked the esophagus"

Generally, patients usually accidentally discover tiny cancer lesions on the surface of the esophageal mucosa because of gastritis or ulcers, or gastroscopy during health checkups. Doctors say that clinically, more than 90% of esophageal cancer patients first discover symptoms of dysphagia and weight loss, but when dysphagia occurs, the tumor often blocks the esophagus by more than 60%.

In addition, a few may have symptoms such as chest pain, vomiting blood, black stools, coughing, and hoarseness; when patients with the above symptoms are found to have esophageal cancer, more than 70% are already in the local late stage or have distant metastasis, resulting in a poor overall prognosis for esophageal cancer.

In addition, in terms of treatment, the first-line treatment for local early esophageal cancer is radical surgical resection of the tumor. The surgical method can be divided into "endoscopic mucosal resection" or "open chest surgery" according to the depth of invasion; for local advanced esophageal cancer in the second, third and fourth stages, the choice is "radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy and surgical treatment". Doctors urge people to seek medical treatment as soon as possible if they have symptoms of suspected esophageal cancer. Early detection can lead to early diagnosis and early treatment.

Prevention recommendations

1. Avoid hot food: Food/drinks should be placed until warm (about 50℃) before consumption.

2. Quit smoking and limit alcohol: Alcohol intake for men ≤25g/day, women ≤15g/day.

3. Balanced diet: Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and reduce pickled and grilled food.

4. Regular screening: High-risk groups (such as long-term smoking and drinking, family history) are recommended to undergo regular gastroscopy.