30-Second Home Test Helps Assess Cancer Risk

Swallowing ability is a marker of cancer risk.

We swallow hundreds of times a day without even thinking about it. But few people know that this process involves more than 50 different muscle and nerve groups.

When there's something wrong with the body—whether it's in the esophagus, the nervous system, or the part of the brain that controls movement—swallowing becomes difficult.

This is an early sign of dysphagia, a common symptom of serious illnesses such as esophageal cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurological disorders.

One of the simple methods for early detection of dysphagia is the repeated saliva swallow test (RSST). This test is being recommended by many health professionals for initial screening.

You just need:

- Sit still, back straight, do not eat or drink anything during the test.

- Take a deep breath and relax your body.

- Within 30 seconds, try to swallow saliva as many times as possible, without consuming any liquid or food.

- Count the number of swallows.

Then, compare with the data table below to see if you are at a "safe" level or have signs of abnormality:

- 20-39 years old: 8.5 times

- 40-49 years old: 8 times

- 50-59 years old: 7 times

- 60-69 years old: 6.7 times

- 70-79 years old: 6 times

- From 80 years old: 4.3 times

If your results are significantly lower than average, this could be an early warning sign. You should see a medical facility for further testing.

What does scientific research say?

This test is not just a "word of mouth tip". It is confirmed by a study published in the journal Dysphagia, conducted by a team of doctors at Sheba Medical Center (Israel).

In this study, scientists monitored 200 healthy people across various age groups, aiming to determine the "normal index" for the number of times saliva can be swallowed in 30 seconds.

The results showed that swallowing ability decreases with age and there is a slight difference between men and women. Men tend to have a higher number of swallows, most likely due to the biological structure and muscle condition of the neck and throat area.

It is worth mentioning that previously, the RSST test standard usually only specified a minimum threshold of 3 swallows/30 seconds for all adults. However, according to the authors, this number is not enough to accurately reflect the level of swallowing function decline according to age, easily missing mild cases.

"Swallowing ability is a very important physiological index but is often overlooked. Establishing new benchmarks for each age group will help screen earlier and more accurately for neurological diseases and head and neck cancers," Associate Professor Dr. Ilana Shemesh, head of the research team, emphasized.

Difficulty swallowing - not just an old people's problem

According to the UK National Health Service (NHS), dysphagia is not only associated with old age, but can also occur in younger people due to:

- Chronic gastroesophageal reflux.

- Side effects of drugs (especially sedatives and antipsychotics).

- Congenital defects in children (cleft lip, cleft palate).

- Neurological disorders or brain injury.

- Chronic lung diseases such as COPD.

In Vietnam, thousands of cases of esophageal and laryngeal cancer are recorded each year. Many cases come to the hospital late because they are subjective with signs such as difficulty swallowing, choking when eating, and swallowing saliva - which are considered "small problems".

A small action like swallowing saliva - if properly noticed - can become an early warning to help you avoid serious consequences later. Don't wait until you have obvious symptoms to go to the doctor, because with many cancers, early detection is the biggest salvation.

Take 30 seconds every few weeks to do this test for yourself and your loved ones. Especially the elderly, those with a history of stroke or underlying diseases related to digestion or respiratory./.