{"id":69589,"date":"2025-08-14T17:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69589\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T17:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:59:12","slug":"esophageal-cancer-symptoms-cancer-alert-mans-first-warning-sign-of-esophageal-cancer-was-ignored-by-his-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69589\/","title":{"rendered":"Esophageal Cancer Symptoms: Cancer alert: Man\u2019s first warning sign of esophageal cancer was ignored by his doctor |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cancer Gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, stomach, pancreatic, and esophageal, are rising faster in adults under 50 than any other cancer type, according to a review published in the journal JAMA. Researchers believe several factors may be driving this trend, from sedentary lifestyles and obesity to smoking, alcohol use, and poor diet.Since many of us aren\u2019t always careful about what we put into our bodies or how we live, it\u2019s crucial to be alert to the early warning signs of these cancers. Detecting them early can make all the difference in survival, for ourselves and the people we care about.One recent case, reported by Today.com, proves this. Mark Sevillano, a 40-year-old California man, did not ignore this early symptom which led to him saving his own life even when the doctors did not notice.<\/p>\n

A symptom too strange to ignore<\/p>\n

In early 2024, Sevillano noticed something unusual while eating: swallowing felt different. Alongside this, he had lost some weight, which he assumed was a natural side effect of finally living a healthier lifestyle after years of stress.\u201cI felt like it almost would get stuck in my throat,\u201d he told Today.com. To help food go down, he would \u201cchug\u201d water. Over the next two months, things worsened. \u201cI would have to literally pound my chest with my fist to help break down the pathway to allow my food to go down,\u201d he said.\"3\"Prompted by his parents, Sevillano made an appointment with his primary care physician. The doctor, noting his young age and lack of family history, \u201cdidn\u2019t sound too concerned.\u201d But Sevillano\u2019s mother, a nurse, urged him to request a swallow test, which the doctor reluctantly ordered.Sevillano soon found himself in the emergency room, where initial tests puzzled the staff. Bloodwork and a CT scan were ordered to get a clearer picture. While the bloodwork was good, the doctors found through the scan he has “a mass in the center of your chest, in your lower part of your esophagus.”Since, inflammation made it difficult to confirm cancer, he was charged from the hospital. Before the second biopsy could be performed, he became dangerously ill. \u201c(This) is where I almost died,\u201d Sevillano said. Living on a liquid diet, he felt light-headed, began convulsing, and started \u201cshaking and shivering.\u201d His mother noticed he was pale, and they rushed back to the ER. Doctors diagnosed sepsis \u2014 a potentially fatal overreaction of the immune system to an infection.\u201cFor the next four days, I was fighting and trying to get the infection out of my body,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

“Don’t wait like I did.”<\/p>\n

Once stable, Sevillano underwent the second biopsy. In June 2024, doctors confirmed Stage 2 esophageal cancer. The treatment plan was aggressive: four rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove it.Chemotherapy took its toll. Sevillano experienced exhaustion, brain fog, and neuropathy, and after his fourth round, he \u201cstarted actually vomiting black stuff.\u201d Despite the side effects, his determination remained firm.\"2\"In October, surgeons performed an esophagectomy which was fortunately a success. With the rounds of chemotherapy also over he has recently celebrated “six months of being cancer-free.\u201dSevillano now wants his story to serve as a reminder that you are your own best advocate. \u201cDon\u2019t wait like I did,\u201d he said. \u201cIf something is wrong with your body, do not ignore it, but act on it right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other early symptoms of Esophageal cancer<\/p>\n

Difficulty swallowing, known medically as dysphagia, can be linked to a range of conditions, from acid reflux to muscle disorders. But it is also a major alert for esophageal cancer. Other early symptoms include:Chest painWeight lossHoarsenessChronic coughVomitingBone pain (if cancer has spread to the bone)Bleeding into the esophagus. This blood then passes through the digestive tract, which may turn the stool black.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, stomach, pancreatic, and esophageal, are rising faster in adults under 50 than any other…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69590,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49,48,43722,43719,43723,43724,84,43721,43720],"class_list":{"0":"post-69589","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-early-warning-signs-of-cancer","11":"tag-esophageal-cancer","12":"tag-esophagectomy-success","13":"tag-gastrointestinal-cancers","14":"tag-health","15":"tag-mark-sevillano-cancer-story","16":"tag-swallowing-difficulties"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}