Staged operation for synchronous quintuple cancer in the oral cavity, hypopharynx, and esophagus

Esophageal cancer is frequently associated with head-and-neck cancer. It is difficult to select treatment modalities for synchronous multiple cancers in the upper aerodigestive tract. A 58-year-old woman had synchronous quintuple cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract and was in a poor nutritional state due to oral pain and dysphagia. Clinical stages of cancer in the oral cavity, hypopharynx, cervical esophagus, middle thoracic esophagus, and lower thoracic esophagus were IVA (cT4a N2b M0), I (cT1 N0 M0), IA (cT1 N0 M0), IA (cT1 N0 M0), and IIA (cT3 N0 M0), respectively. After preoperative chemoradiotherapy, curative resection of oral cavity cancer and a tube jejunostomy were performed. Then, pharyngolaryngectomy, total esophagectomy, and pharyngostomy were performed. Finally, after additional radiotherapy to the oral cavity, pharyngogastrostomy with gastric tube and microvascular anastomosis were performed. The patient achieved oral intake and is in good condition and has at this writing remained recurrence free for 26 months. This report suggests that even if there are multiple cancers, adopting multimodal treatment strategies for controlling each cancer may lead to a chance to obtain a complete cure.