食道癌之中醫治療

Treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Esophageal Cancer

食道癌主要兩種組織學型態就是鱗狀細胞癌與腺癌。食道主要是由鱗狀細胞黏膜組成，所以很合理的鱗狀細胞癌是大多數食道最常發生的癌症，事實上這幾年來，食道癌的發生率也愈來愈多，甚至幾乎要與食道鱗狀細胞癌發生率差不多，主要是因為在胃食道交界的地方有胃酸逆流的關係，許多的原因都被認為與發生食道癌有關。食道癌的危險因子包括：抽菸、喝酒、巴洛氏食道、肥胖、胃食道逆流、食道腐蝕性傷害、先前具有頭頸部癌症病史、先前具有乳癌且經放射治療病史。食道癌早期症狀一般多見吞嚥輕微困難，吞嚥時食道內疼痛，胸骨後隱隱 痛，中期會出現明顯吞嚥困難、嘔吐、進食疼痛、體重減輕等症狀，晚期出現癌轉移、潰瘍穿孔、惡液質等，中醫對食道癌係根據不同臨床表現分為痰氣互結、瘀毒阻滯、陰虛內熱、氣虛陽微等證型，治宜理氣化痰、化瘀解毒、滋陰潤燥、益氣溫陽等，食道癌中醫治療的良好效果，逐漸獲得証實，也開啟另一道扇門。

Esophageal cancer has two different histological types - squamous cell carcinoma and gland carcinoma. Since esophagus is composed of squamous cells, it is reasonable that squamous cell carcinoma is the most esophageal cancer. Actually, esophageal cancer incidence rate is higher and higher in these years. Many reasons are considered to be related to esophageal cancer, such as gastroesophageal reflux. The risk factors for esophageal cancer include smoking, slcohol, Barrett's esophagus, obesity, gastroesophageal reflux, having history of head and neck cancer, having history of breast cancer and radiation treatment. The early symptoms of esophageal cancer include swallowing difficulty, painful swallowing, non-cardiac chest pain. In middle-term, swallowing will cause much more difficulty and vomit. Substantial weight loss is characteristic as a result of poor nutrition and the active cancer. The patients with late esophageal have cancer metastasis, perforation with abscess, and cachexia of carcinoma. In traditional Chinese medicine, esophageal cancer has the syndrome types of combination of phlegm and qi, blood stasis accumulating with toxin, yin asthenia and internal heat, qi deficiency and yang deficiency. Regulating qi to dissipate phlegm, eliminating blood-stasis and toxin, profiting qi and warming yang are applicable to the treatment of esophageal cancer. The good outcome of fighting esophageal cancer with integration of Chinese-Western medicine has opened another door for the patients.