what is the cancer that is commonly misdiagnosed as GERD and is there a cure?
Monday, August 31st, 2009 at
12:20 pm
My sister was diagnosed with GERD recently, but now she is being told that she has to get a biopsy, because she may have been misdiagnosed and has a good chance of having cancer. Her doctor also told her that if she does have cancer that it would be a death sentence, I need to know if that is true.
Filed under: Heartburn Questions
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Another possiblity is that your sister has a gastrinoma – which is a very rare type of cancer that is usually found only in people with MENS syndrome – I can’t remember what exactly the acronym means but it is a hereditary type of cancer that is usually fatal because the person gets many different types of cancer very easily. If there is a big history of cancer in your family – the doc might be talking about that.
However – not all gastrinomas are related to the syndrome – and the ones that aren’t related are curable.
Best of luck to you and your sister!
It is possible that the type of cancer the doctor is concerned about is esophageal adenocarcinoma which is similar to GERD. There is no cure for any type of cancer, but there is treatment that can lead to an individual cure. My MIL had esophageal cancer over five years ago and is now in remission.
However, based on your question, I would suggest that your sister get a second opinion and a new doctor immediately. Any doctor that tells a patient this before the condition has even been diagnosed is irresponsible, so I would not trust his judgement. Get a second opinion from a respected doctor. There really isn’t much you can do until you know what you are dealing with. If it is cancer there is treatment . . but that will depend on the type and stage of the disease.
NCI: Esophageal cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/types/esophageal
Esophageal cancer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esophageal_cancer
The Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association
http://www.ecaware.org/EC_Information.html
Hope this information helps you sort through what to do. If this is cancer you should get your sister to a designated comprehensive cancer center and find an oncologist who has treated this disease before. Good luck.
NCI: Cancer Centers List
http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/cancer-centers-list.html
Your sister needs to get a new doc. This one sounds very inexperienced. I had an esophageal biopsy done in June of this year and was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. An allergic disorder that mimics GERD. Some say the GERD can cause EE or vice versa. Throughout my testing, my doctor did not mention cancer ONCE. Do you have esophageal cancer in your family? What makes this doctor think there is a "good chance" she may have cancer?! Sounds like this doc is freaking your sister out for no reason. Incidentally, I also have thyroid cancer. Cancer is not a death sentence. You can fight it no matter how small the chance of survival. Your sister needs to get a doctor on her side with a positive outlook and a clue! Good luck!