Multiple primary epidermoid carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract
A. R. Shons and D. G. McQuarrie
In a series of 405 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the head and neck,
52 patients (13%) developed multiple epidermoid carcinomas of the upper
aerodigestive tract. Subsequent primary tumors developed with nearly equal
frequency in the head and neck, lung, and esophagus. Forty of the patients
developed a subsequent primary carcinoma within five years of the first.
Thirty-eight (73%) of the patients who developed a subsequent primary
carcinoma survived less than two years from its diagnosis. The majority
(34/50) of the patients died from the subsequent primary carcinoma. We
recommend that panendoscopy and an esophagogram be performed on initial
evaluation of patients with head and neck cancer. A thorough reexamination
is warranted if new symptoms or signs develop.
