Abstract
Purpose: The incidence of primary esophageal cancer complicated by carcinoma in other organs has in-creased in Japan, particularly that of esophageal cancer associated with head and neck cancer and gastric can-cer. Materials and Methods: We analysis 241 cases (23%) of synchronous or metachronous other primary malignancies of 1, 050 of esophageal cancer treated at the Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, from 1982 to 2001. Results: The incidence of combined cancers increased 12%, 19%, 26%, and 31% at 5-year intervals. The site of combined malignancies was the head and neck in 40% and the stomach in 29%. The incidence ratio of combined head and neck cancer from 1982 to 1991 was 33% and that from 1992 to 2001 was 42%. The incidence of combined gastric cancer (29%) remained unchanged. Death related to other primary malignancies occurred in 5.5% of all patients. Death not related to esophageal cancer was due to malignancies in the head and neck (40%), lung (17%), liver (16%), stomach (9%), and other organs (19%). Although the incidence of multiple primary cancer has increased, the incidence of death related to other pri-mary malignancies decreased each 5 years. This may be due to measures taken to find other primary malig-nancies in patients with esophageal cancer. Conclusions: It is important to follow up patients primarily treated for esophageal cancer, focusing on synchronous or metechronous malignancies and recurrence.
