After the surgery and radiotherapy, there is still a dry and painful throat, with occasional dry coughs.

After listening to the patient's introduction of his condition, Ji Xiuwen's face changed.

Su Kenan wasn't much better off, looking at the patient with eyes full of sympathy.

Lu Xuan was slightly better because he had encountered a case of stomach cancer just last week, where the patient underwent a subtotal gastrectomy. However, upon hearing it was esophageal cancer, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Esophageal cancer is primarily a malignant tumor originating from the squamous epithelium and columnar epithelium of the esophagus, further divided into squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, with squamous cell carcinoma accounting for approximately 90% and adenocarcinoma about 10%. The most typical clinical manifestation of esophageal cancer is progressive dysphagia.

Esophageal cancer can occur in any part of the esophagus. According to national statistics, it occurs most frequently in the middle section of the esophagus, followed by the lower section, and least frequently in the upper section. Some gastric cardia cancers extending to the lower esophagus are often indistinguishable clinically from lower esophageal cancer, and this is referred to as gastroesophageal junction cancer.

Since the esophageal wall lacks a serous layer, the direct infiltration of esophageal cancer is crucial. Once the tumor cells infiltrate the submucosal tissue, the majority of patients experience hematogenous metastasis, and a minority have lymphatic metastasis.

Once the cancerous tissue invades the submucosa, the probability of tumor cell metastasis exceeds 90%, which is a primary reason why the mortality rate of esophageal cancer remains high.

The main treatment methods for esophageal cancer currently include surgical procedures and non-surgical treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and endoscopic treatment. The combined or sequential application of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can increase the local control rate of esophageal cancer, reduce distant metastasis, and prolong the patient's survival.

The exact etiology of esophageal cancer is not fully understood, but modern medical research indicates that long-term stimulation by certain physical and chemical factors and carcinogenic substances in food, particularly an excess of nitrates, are important causes of esophageal cancer.

However, these are introductions to esophageal cancer from a Western medicine perspective. In traditional Chinese medicine, esophageal cancer mostly falls under the category of "Ye Ge," also referred to as "Ge Ye" or "Ye Se."

In traditional Chinese medicine literature, descriptions of "Ye Ge" can be traced back to two thousand years ago.

The Inner Canon records "the three yang channels knot and cause obstruction," and "food and drink will not descend; there is obstruction and discomfort in the diaphragm, making swallowing difficult, which causes vomiting upon eating."

Subsequent understanding of this disease has continuously evolved. For instance, the Yi Guan states that "Ye Ge is a condition where one feels hungry and wants to eat but experiences obstruction and regurgitation between the throat and chest diaphragm. Before reaching the stomach, it comes out accompanied by phlegm and saliva," clearly elucidating the disease's site of onset and typical clinical manifestations. These descriptions closely resemble the symptoms of esophageal cancer in modern medicine.

This, to some extent, demonstrates that traditional Chinese medicine has been researching esophageal cancer for thousands of years, although the concept of malignant tumors does not exist in Chinese medicine.

Seeing Lu Xuan remain silent for a long time, Tong He's wife grew worried and couldn't help but sob, "Dr. Lu... my husband, is he... isn't he..."

"Dr. Lu."

Ji Xiuwen touched Lu Xuan's arm.

Lu Xuan then returned to his senses, noticing Ji Xiuwen signaling to him, realizing he had been distracted. He turned to Tong He's wife: "Let me take a pulse first."

This type of illness was unfamiliar to him, so there was little he could say.

It seemed Tong He had inquired about Lu Xuan's personality beforehand, as he said nothing more and directly extended his arm to the pulse pillow.

Although anxious, Tong He's wife also chose to remain silent at this moment.

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