Does pain in the chest with burps and acid reflux indicate lung or esophagus cancer?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am worried about what this could be. For two days I have had pain in my chest and sternum on the right. The pain is dull and does not cause too much discomfort and is more like a burn. I have also been having acid reflux and been burping quite a bit and when I do it burns a little more. It feels as if it is mucous in my throat and I constantly need to bring it up. I do not have discharge, no coughing up anything, and no cough. I am worried about whether this is serious like lung or esophagus cancer. Kindly suggest.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. I do not think there is anything to worry about as your symptoms and short history are mostly due to acid reflux disease. The cancer of the lung usually causes weight loss and shortness of breath, while esophageal cancer causes weight loss, decreased appetite, and difficulty in swallowing. Both these cancers are rare in your age group. Your symptoms are most likely due to acid reflux disease. I would suggest you try the following tips-

1. If you are a smoker, quit it.

2. Avoid spicy, fatty, and greasy food.

3. Take small meals rather than heavy ones.

4. Avoid late-night meals or eating before exercise.

5. Wear loose-fitting clothes and adjust your sleep position.

6. Daily exercise and mental relaxing yoga

You can try a few medications also-

1. Tablet Pantop DSR (Pantoprazole 40 mg and Domperidone 10 mg) once daily on empty stomach for 10 days. Hopefully, you will get rid of this problem.

Thank you.