Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus Synchronously Associated with Head and Neck Cancer

Masaru Morita; Akinori Egashira; Y U Nakaji; Masaki Kagawa; Masahiko Sugiyama; Daisuke Yoshida; Mitsuhiko Ota; Masahiko Ikebe; Muneyuki Masuda; Yojiro Inoue; Naonobu Kunitake; Yasushi Toh

doi:10.21873/invivo.11146

Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus Synchronously Associated with Head and Neck Cancer

In Vivo. 2017 Sep-Oct;31(5):909-916. doi: 10.21873/invivo.11146.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan [email protected].
² Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
³ Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁴ Department of Plastic Surgery, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁵ Department of Radiology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.

Abstract

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to clarify the treatment strategy for synchronous squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC) and head and neck cancer (HNC).

Patients and methods: Treatment outcomes of 91 patients with synchronous ESCC and HNC were evaluated. Thirty-eight patients received simultaneous definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and 15 patients underwent simultaneous resection.

Results: Among the patients who received simultaneous CRT, adverse events (grade 3-5) were recognized in 14 patients (40%), including one case of death due to aspiration pneumonia. Complete response was observed in 22 patients with ESCC (58%) and 19 patients with HNC (50%). The five-year survival rate was 44%. There were no in-hospital deaths after simultaneous resection; however, postoperative complications were recognized in 4 patients. The five-year OS was 70%.

Conclusion: The treatment of synchronous ESCC and HNC must be decided by adopting a strategy that is appropriate for each case. Both simultaneous CRT and simultaneous resection are feasible and effective treatment options.

Keywords: Esophageal cancer; head and neck cancer; synchronous double cancer.

MeSH terms

Aged
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / diagnosis
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / mortality
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / therapy*
Combined Modality Therapy / adverse effects
Combined Modality Therapy / methods
Disease Management
Esophageal Neoplasms / diagnosis
Esophageal Neoplasms / mortality
Esophageal Neoplasms / therapy*
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms / diagnosis
Head and Neck Neoplasms / mortality
Head and Neck Neoplasms / therapy*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multimodal Imaging / methods
Neoplasm Staging
Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / diagnosis
Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / mortality
Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / therapy*
Recurrence
Survival Analysis
Treatment Outcome