Cancer being the third leading cause of death in Kenya, a medic in Kericho County has decried the rising cases of esophageal cancer advising residents to understand their personal risk of developing the terminal disease which is known to progress rapidly with unnoticeable symptoms.
The esophagus is a hollow, muscular tube located in the centre of the chest that carries food and liquid from the throat to the stomach. It is also known as the food pipe.
In an interview with KNA, a resident surgeon at AIC Litein Kericho Annex clinic Dr Philip Blasto pointed out that the risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol use, obesity, chronic acid reflux, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and family history.
He stressed the need for residents to recognise early warning signs such as recurrent heartburns, difficulty swallowing solid foods, pain in the throat, chronic coughing or hoarseness of the voice and unintentional weight loss.
Dr Blasto revealed that with such symptoms two tests are conducted to confirm the presence of the disease which grows rapidly as patients will often not have the symptoms until the cancer has spread due to the fact that the esophagus is very flexible and expands around the tumor.
“There is a barium swallow where a patient drinks a liquid with barium making it easier for a health care provider to see the esophagus on the X-ray. The best diagnosis is done with endoscopy where a thin flexible tube called an endoscope is passed through the mouth to look at the inside of the esophagus,” said Dr Blasto.
He revealed that the hospital was diagnosing at least three patients per month with the ailment, an indicator that the disease was rampant in Kericho adding that research on the disease is being conducted in a bid to confirm its prevalence in the County.
“Three patients are reported with difficulties in swallowing per month at our hospital facility and when send them for initial investigations to Tenwek hospital endoscopy department, two of them diagnosed with esophageal cancer,” Noted Dr Blasto.
The medic revealed that esophageal cancer when detected early by health care providers may be eliminated with surgery and other treatments.
“Esophageal cancer is aggressive and patients do not notice symptoms until after the cancer has spread as the esophageal is a muscular tube that stretches. As the tumor grows it starts to block the esophagus opening and a patient notices trouble swallowing and even pain when they swallow solid and liquids foods. Early diagnosis is critical to help determine effective treatment options that include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy depending on the cancer stage, “added Dr Blasto.
An esophageal cancer survivor Benard Otieno, 36, said he lived with the disease for two years and during the initial stages he would be treated for ulcer like symptoms which cleared after six months of treatment but later he started experiencing difficulties swallowing solid and liquid foods only for an endoscopy to reveal he had cancer of the esophagus.
“In January 2020 I started experiencing ulcer like symptoms and after taking medications for six months prescribed by a medic, they cleared but come October 2020 I started experiencing difficulties swallowing solid and liquid foods and an X-ray done revealed that I had a narrowing esophagus. An endoscopy procedure conducted revealed that I had a worrying growth building along my esophagus and a biopsy confirmed my worst fears that I had cancer of the esophagus,” Revealed Otieno.
Otieno underwent two chemotherapy cycles as well as surgery is now cancer free.
By Sarah Njagi
