Occult gastrointestinal tract lesions associated with the globus symptom

From November 1975 through September 1981, 2,924 consecutive patients were examined during first visits to Saitama Cancer Center, Saitama, Japan. Two hundred ninety patients (10%) had the globus symptom as the initial complaint; none had otorhinolaryngologic abnormalities. The patients underwent gastrointestinal (GI) tract and chest roentgenography, blood and urine biochemical laboratory tests, esophagoendoscopy, and gastroendoscopy. Sixty-nine patients had GI tract lesions, six had stomach cancer, three had esophageal cancer, and one had colonic cancer. Our findings suggested that some patients may have occult GI tract lesions associated with the globus symptom, and we recommend GI tract roentgenography for patients with that symptom.