[Multiple primary cancers in patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal carcinomas]

To investigate into the incidence of the multiple primary cancers in patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal carcinomas retrospectively.

Records of 309 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of hypopharynx and larynx during a 16 year period between 1980 and 1995 were reviewed.

A total of 101(32.7%) second primary cancers were found in 79(25.6%) patients. Among them, 76(75.3%) second primary cancers were found in the aerodigestive tract. Patients with hypopharyngeal cancer showed higher incidence of second esophageal (23/55, 41.8%) and gastric (12/55, 21.9%) carcinomas than those with laryngeal cancers, while glottic cancer patients (7/112, 6.3%) showed higher tendency to develop lung cancer than the hypopharyngeal cancer patients. Higher incidence was also observed for second primary cancers of mesopharyngeal, esophageal and gastric cancers in primary supraglottic cancer than in glottic cancer patients. Seventeen of 23(73.9%) patients with hypopharyngeal cancers had second primary esophageal cancers and 6 of 12 (50%) had second gastric cancers. Endoscopy with Lugol dye staining can detect clinically asymptomatic early esophageal and gastric cancers.

Lugol dye endoscopy is indispensable and should be applied for routine screening of synchronous or metachronous carcinoma of aerodigestive tract once the hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers were diagnosed.