Abstract
Many patients with head and neck cancers have double cancers in the upper gastrointestinal tract area. This study investigated 133 oral cancer patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal fiberscopy at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hyogo Cancer Center between January 2003 and December 2008. Double cancers were detected in the upper gastrointestinal tract area in 16 cases (12.0%). All of those patients were male, 12 had esophageal cancer and 4 had stomach cancer. Nine of 67 (13.4%) had a tumor on the tongue, 2 of 19 (10.5%) on the lower alveolus and gingiva, 3 of 18 (16.7%) on the floor of the mouth, 1 of 12 cases (8.3%) on the buccal mucosa, and 1 of 2 cases (50.0%) on the hard palate. Two of 38 cases were stage I, 8 of 32 cases (25%) were stage II, 2 of 19 cases (10.5%) were stage III, and 4 of 44 cases (9.1%) were stage IV. Twelve of 68 patients had a history of drinking and smoking, 4 of 14 patients had only a history of smoking, and 12 patients had only a history of drinking. There were 39 patients with no history of smoking or drinking and none of these patients had double cancers in the upper gastrointestinal tract area. Carcinoma in situ was detected early in 4 patients with esophageal cancer.
