Background: Early detection of esophageal secondary primary tumors (SPTs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients could increase patient survival. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic yield of esophageal SPTs using Lugol chromoendoscopy.Methods: A systematic review of all available databases was performed to find all Lugol chromoendoscopy screening studies.Results: Fifteen studies with a total of 3386 patients were included. The average yield of esophageal‐SPTs in patients with HNSCC was 15%. The prevalence was the highest for patients with an index hypopharyngeal (28%) or oropharyngeal (14%) tumor. The esophageal‐SPTs were classified as high‐grade dysplasia in 49% of the cases and as invasive carcinoma's in 51%.Conclusion: Our results show that 15% of the patients with HNSCC that underwent Lugol chromoendoscopy were diagnosed with an esophageal‐SPT. Based on these results there is enough evidence to perform Lugol chromoendoscopy, especially in an Asian patient population.

Background: Our aim was to review our management of inverted papilloma (IP), perform a recurrence analysis, and review the literature. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 247 patients treated for an IP. Patients were grouped according to surgical approach, tumor presentation (primary, residual and recurrence) and Krouse-stage. Results: Recurrence was observed in 20.3%, 28.6% and 35.1% ( p = 0.017) of the patients who underwent endoscopic, external and combined surgery, respectively. Recurrences occurred more often in residual than primary IP (36.9% vs. 22.3%, p = 0.021). Primary endoscopic surgery had a recurrence rate of 12.5%, which was comparable to the recent literature (11.2%, 161/1433). Conclusions: The relatively high number of recurrences in this cohort is explained by the long follow-up and previous (incomplete) surgery in 61.5% of the cases. The inferior outcome of residual IP underscores the importance of having a low threshold for preoperative biopsy in unilateral and atypical sinonasal disease.

Background: The objectives of this study are to determine the incidence and survival rate of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with multiple primary tumors (MPT) in the HN‐region, lung, or esophagus.Methods: Patient and tumor specific data of 1372 patients with HNSCC were collected from both the national cancer registry and patient records to ensure high‐quality double‐checked data.Results: The total incidence of MPTs in the HN‐region, lung, and esophagus in patients with HNSCC was 11% (149/1372). Patients with lung MPTs and esophageal MPTs had a significant worse 5‐year survival than patients with HN‐MPTs (29%, 14%, and 67%, respectively, P < 0.001). The 5‐year survival rate for synchronous HN MPTs was only 25%, whereas it was surprisingly high for patients with metachronous HN MPT (85%, P < 0.001).Conclusions: One of 10 patients with HNSCC develop MPTs in the HN‐region, lung, or esophagus. The 5‐year survival of patients with metachronous HN MPTs was surprisingly favorable.

Esophageal cancer is an increasingly common type of neoplasm with a very poor prognosis. This prognosis could improve with more early tumor detection. We have previously shown that we can use an optical spectroscopy to detect field cancerization in the buccal mucosa of patients with laryngeal cancer. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether we could detect field cancerization of buccal mucosa of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Optical measurements were performed in vivo using a novel optical technique: multidiameter single-fiber reflectance (MDSFR) spectroscopy. MDSFR spectra were acquired by a handheld probe incorporating three fiber diameters. Multiple absorption and scattering parameters that are related to the physiological and ultrastructural properties of the buccal mucosa were derived from these spectra. A linear discriminant analysis of the parameters was performed to create a combined biomarker σ to discriminate oncologic from non-oncologic patients. Twelve ESCC, 12 EAC, and 24 control patients were included in the study. The median value of our biomarker σ was significantly higher in patients with ESCC (2.07 [1.93–2.10]) than control patients (1.86 [1.73–1.95], p = 0.022). After cross-validation σ was able to identify ESCC patients with a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 70.8%. There were no significant differences between the EAC group and the control group. Field cancerization in the buccal mucosa can be detected using optical spectroscopy in ESCC patients. This may be the first step towards non-invasive ESCC cancer screening.

Background: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of second primary tumors (SPTs) in the head and neck region, lungs, and esophagus in patients with head and neck cancer.Methods: We collected data from 1581 patients. A cause‐specific Cox model for the development of an SPT was fitted, accounting for the competing risks residual/recurrent tumor and mortality.Results: Of all patients, 246 (15.6%) developed SPTs. Analysis showed that tobacco and alcohol use, comorbidity, and the oral cavity subsite were risk factors for SPTs. The C‐index, the discriminative accuracy, of the model for SPT was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.61–0.68).Conclusions: Our results show that there is potential to identify patients who have an increased risk to develop an SPT. This might increase their survival chances and quality of life. More research is needed to provide head and neck clinicians with definitive recommendations.