Cancer’s chief weapons, then, are surprise, fear and ruthless efficiency. No one knows for sure how long the tumour has been lodged and growing in my oesophagus. The nature of this particular beast is that it quietly bides its time, sinking its hooks into your soft tissue, expanding and spreading, and you don’t get any symptoms until it’s firmly established itself. It’s almost admirable, the way it stealthily takes hold and doesn’t announce itself until it’s almost too late.
