Symptoms

Main symptoms of oesophageal cancer

There are many possible symptoms of oesophageal cancer, but they might be hard to spot.

They can affect your digestion, such as:

having problems swallowing (dysphagia)
feeling or being sick
heartburn or acid reflux
symptoms of indigestion, such as burping a lot

Other symptoms include:

a cough that is not getting better
a hoarse voice
loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
feeling tired or having no energy
pain in your throat or the middle of your chest, especially when swallowing
black poo or coughing up blood (although these are uncommon)

If you have another condition, such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, you may get symptoms like these regularly.

You might find you get used to them. But it's important to be checked by a GP if your symptoms change, get worse, or do not feel normal for you.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you're being sick for more than 2 days
your poo is black or dark red
you have symptoms of oesophageal cancer you're worried about, but are not sure where to get help

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

See a GP if:

you have problems swallowing
you've lost a noticeable amount of weight
you have heartburn most days that lasts for 3 weeks or more
you have symptoms of oesophageal cancer that get worse
you have a condition that causes digestion symptoms and they're not getting better with your usual treatments

Important

These symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions.

Having them does not definitely mean you have oesophageal cancer. But it's important to get them checked by a GP.

This is because if they're caused by cancer, finding it early makes it more treatable.

What happens at the GP appointment

The GP may feel your neck and tummy.

They might arrange for you to have a blood test.

Referral to a specialist

You may get an urgent referral for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital if the GP thinks you have symptoms that could be cancer. This does not definitely mean you have cancer.

Find out more

Cancer Research UK: referral to a specialist for symptoms that could be caused by oesophageal cancer

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