Detecting Advanced Esophageal Cancer by Point of Care Ultrasonography

Abstract

Abstract Esophageal cancer (EC) is the 8th-most common cancer and the 6th-most common cause of death worldwide in 2020. Patients with EC might present with a variety of symptoms, such as chest tightness, retrosternal pain, acid regurgitation, heartburn sensation, dyspnea, cough, recurrent pneumonia, hoarseness, dysphagia, and weight loss, which make early diagnosing EC extremely difficult. Currently, the golden diagnostic tool of EC remains endoscopic biopsy. However, in patient suspected advanced EC, point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) could be a first-line screening tool. By three zones of esophageal sonography including esophageal inlet, middle third segment of esophagus just beneath the cardiac chambers, and esophagogastric junction, we could be able to detect sonographic evidence of advanced EC including heterogeneous hyperechoic esophageal mass, loss of normal wall differentiation, and mass effect to adjacent structure such as left atrium. For patients with chest pain, POCUS should be focused on cardiac, adjust mediastinum and lung survey. Here, we present a 73-year-old male presented to the emergency department with retrosternal chest pain for 3 months. POCUS revealed esophageal mass which is also proved by computer tomography and endoscopic biopsy on the same day.