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One in two dads dies of throat cancer after being "accused of having difficulty swallowing": it was actually a tumor
- Ryan Greenan, from Wester Hailes in Edinburgh, died of cancer last month
- His illness spread from the throat to the lungs and liver before diagnosis.
- A doctor told him that he was "too young" for his symptoms to become cancerous
- And his family now wants to raise awareness of the disease that affects young people
By
Sam Blanchard Health Journalist for Mailonline
published:
6:40 am EST, February 4, 2019
|
Update:
07:38 EST, February 4, 2019
A man who had trouble swallowing even water but who was told that it was anxiety died just three weeks after the diagnosis of the disease. cancer of the throat.
Ryan Greenan, 35, would have been too young to have cancer and would have been fired by doctors who thought he had a reflux problem.
But less than four months after his first visit to the doctor, he died of oesophageal cancer because the disease had been left too long and spread through his body.
He had made a proposal to his partner, Natasha, shortly before realizing that he was sick, but had quickly refused, losing his second (12 kg) in two weeks to the hospital.
Ryan Greenan, 35, died three months earlier, but three months after being diagnosed with cancer, he was dismissed by a doctor.
Mr. Greenan, who was engaged to his partner Natasha Robertson, 35 years old (photographed with him), declined rapidly after collapsing to work in December and died less than 10 years old. a month later.
Mr. Greenan's family now wants to educate the public about esophageal cancer and warn that it can affect young people.
The father of two girls aged 8 and 11, Mr. Greenan worked as a caregiver and went to see a doctor in September 2018, with difficulty eating and drinking.
Her GP thought that the problem could be due to anxiety and would not have investigated further.
A few weeks later, in December, Mr. Greenan, from Wester Hailes to Edinburgh, collapsed at work.
After that, the doctors first discovered a cancer that had started in the throat and spread to the lungs and liver. He died in January of this year.
& # 39; I am absolutely destroyed. I am so angry, "said his sister Kerry Greenan at the Edinburgh Evening News.
"If they had caught it earlier, my big brother would still be here today.
Mr. Greenan, a caregiver, could not cure his cancer because it had been so long before it was noticed – the disease had spread to his lungs and liver at the time of diagnosis.
"If it had been done earlier, they could have operated, they could have given him chemotherapy.
"But after three months it was all over, they could not do anything else at that time."
Esophageal cancer is more common in people 60 to 70 years old and touches the throat tube through which food travels to the stomach.
It can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy if it is taken early, but is often incurable if it is taken late.
There are about 9,000 new cases each year in the UK and only 15% of people – one in six – are still alive five years after diagnosis.
Ms. Greenan now warns people not to believe a doctor if she is certain something is wrong, and urges doctors not to exclude cancer from youth.
She said, "When Ryan went to the doctor for the first time, he was told that it was worrying and that he was too young to be cancer because he was only 35 years old.
"He simply took this as his diagnosis and did not go back, because the general advice was that esophageal cancer really only affected the elderly.
"But he got to the point where he could not even swallow water, he ate or barely drank.
Ms. Greenan said that people should ask for a second opinion if they are not satisfied with their doctor's diagnosis and fear that something is really wrong.
A JustGiving page has raised about £ 1,100 to contribute to Mr. Greenan's funeral.
WHAT IS CANCER OF THE ESOPHAGUS?
Cancer of the esophagus or esophagus is curable, but in most cases the outlook is mediocre.
Cancer, which occurs in the lining of the esophagus, mainly affects people over 60 years old.
This has the effect of narrowing the esophagus – the tube that runs between the back of the throat and the stomach – making it difficult to swallow.
The disease is particularly common in parts of Africa and China, where it may be related to local diet or how food is cooked.
In the West, smoking and alcohol are important risk factors. A combination of both seems to increase the risk.
Surgery is the most common treatment for esophageal cancer in the UK, especially if the disease has not spread.
Radiation and chemotherapy are also used in some patients, and new treatments such as photodynamic therapy, which uses light-activated chemicals, are under study.
Sometimes a tube is inserted into the esophagus to relieve difficulty swallowing.
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