4 months ago
Baltimore, MARYLAND (WUSA)-- Doctors are eradicating the nation's fastest growing cancer with a non-invasive outpatient procedure. New studies are showing that cryotherapy or the freezing of tissue is effective in treating esophageal cancer.
Dr. Bruce Greenwald of the University of Maryland Medical Center explains: "What we are able to do is pass the scope through the mouth into the swallowing pipe, the esophagus, and then spray liquid nitrogen on to diseased tissue."
One of cryotherapy's success stories is John Gilece of Annapolis, Maryland. During testing for another condition, doctors discovered cells damaged by acid reflux in the lining of his esophagus. It is called Barrett's Syndrome, and it is a stepping stone to cancer.
Gilece says,"I had no idea, it was just a total shock to me."
In his case, the early diagnosis and cryotherapy helped him avoid major surgery and cancer treatment.
"So far, knock on wood, it's been great. The last time I was here, he did a pathology report. They did the biopsies and he said everything came back negative, it was good," John explains.
You can be in John's same position without even knowing it. What makes esophageal cancer so dangerous is that the main symptom is so common, it is usually ignored.
"The symptom in most of these patients is heartburn and the medical term is GERD. So the people we want to be aware of with cancer are those who have had significant heartburn in their life," Dr. Greewald explains.
So what can you do to avoid chronic heart burn and even esophageal cancer?
-Consume a healthy diet
-Refrain from eating too late at night
-Minimize fatty and greasy foods
-Avoid over-eating
-Limit alcohol and tobacco
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