A possible case of Werner syndrome presenting with multiple cancers

The treatment of a man with six metachronous primary cancers is described. The primary lesions were in the soft palate, both edges of the tongue, the hard palate, the esophagus, and the right ureter. Pathologically, all of the first five tumors in the head and neck and esophagus were proven to be squamous cell carcinoma with various grades of differentiation, and the last one was transitional cell carcinoma. The cancers were found in the early clinical stage, and were completely controlled one by one except for the ureteral tumor under treatment. His characteristic medical history and physical findings, i.e. bilateral cataracts, short stature, baldness, diabetes mellitus, high-pitched voice, and multiple malignancies, met the clinical criteria for possible Werner syndrome, a genetic premature aging disorder, though the possibility of phenocopy of this syndrome has not been ruled out. We have followed him carefully because he might be vulnerable to malignant tumor formation.