Value of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination of head and neck cancer patients

Between January 1995 and March 1999, we performed the upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations on 287 patients with head and neck cancers and detected 23 cases (8%) of esophageal cancer and 8 cases (2.8%) of gastric cancer, showing how frequently esophageal cancer occurs in head and neck cancer. The esophageal cancer involved the oral cavity in 8 cases (9.5%), the oropharynx in 3 cases (8.6%), the hypopharynx in 10 cases (19.6%), and the larynx in 2 cases (2%). Esophageal cancer occurred most frequently in hypopharyngeal cancer, particularly the pyriform sinus type and the postcricoid type. We conclude that upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination, including Lugol staining, is necessary in head and neck cancer patients.