Summary
In a retrospective study of 556 patients (505 men, 51 women) with laryngeal cancer the incidence and prognosis of lung malignancies was studied in patients who were examined yearly by chest radiography. In 69 patients (12.4%) a lung malignancy was diagnosed, with 28 having a histologically confirmed second primary malignancy. All of these 69 patients were men. The incidence of radiologically detected lung malignancies, both second primary and metastatic cancer, is higher and more prolonged following supraglottic carcinoma than following glottic carcinoma. In 47 patients (68%) without symptoms, the lung malignancy was detected by routine annual chest radiography. The survival rate in patients with lung cancer detected by the yearly radiography was significantly higher than in patients diagnosed after symptoms (median survival 10 and 4 months, respectively). However, taking into account the lead time between early radiologic diagnosis and the time a tumor would have been diagnosed following symptoms, the observed survival benefit of yearly radiography was much lower, or even nil.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End Results Reporting (1978) Clinical staging system for carcinoma of the larynx. American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End Results Reporting, Chicago
Bailar JC (ed) (1984) Screening for lung cancer — where are we now? Am Rev Respir Dis 130:541–542
Brown M (1978) Second primaries in cases of the larynx. J Laryngol Otol 92:991–996
Cahan WG, Montemayor PB (1962) Cancer of the larynx and lung in the same patient. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 44:309–320
Cutler SJ, Ederer F (1958) Maximum utilization of the life table method in analyzing survival. J Chronic Dis 8:699–712
De Vries N, Waal I van der, Snow GB (1986) Multiple primary tumours in laryngeal cancer. J Laryngol Otol 100:915–918
Feinleib M, Zelen M (1969) Some pitfalls in the evaluation of screening programs. Arch Environ Health 19:412–415
Fontana RS, Sanderson DR, Taylor WF, Woolner LB, Miller E, Muhm JR, Uhlenhopp MA (1984) Early lung cancer detection: results of the initial (prevalence) radiologic and cytologic screening in the Mayo Clinic study. Am Rev Respir Dis 130:561–565
Gluckman JL, Crissman JD, Donegan JO (1980) Multicentric squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. Head Neck Surg 3:90–96
Goffinet DR, Eltringham JR, Glatstein E, Bagshaw MA (1973) Carcinoma of the larynx. Results of radiation therapy in 213 patients. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med 117:553–564
Hordijk GJ, Jong JMA de (1983) Synchronous and metachronous tumors in patients with head and neck cancer. J Laryngol Otol 97:619–621
Kazem I, Broek P van den, Huygen PLM (1982) Planned preoperative radiation therapy for advanced laryngeal carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 8:1533–1537
Martin G, Glanz H, Kleinsasser O (1979) Multiple maligne Tumoren bei Patienten mit Larynxcarcinomen. Laryngol Rhinol Otol 58:756–763
Miyahara H, Yoshino K, Umatani K, Sato T (1985) Multiple primary tumours in laryngeal cancer. J Laryngol Otol 99:999–1004
Moertel CG (1977) Multiple primary malignant neoplasms. Historical perspectives. Cancer 40:1786–1792
Non E (1984) The natural five-year course of bronchial carcinoma. Cancer 53:2211–2216
Peto R, Pike MC, Armitage P (1977) Design and analysis of randomized clinical trials requiring prolonged observation of each patient, 2. Analysis and examples. Br J Cancer 35:1–39
Ries LG, Pollack ES, Young JL (1983) Cancer patients survival: surveillance, epidemiology and end results program, 1973–79. J Natl Cancer Inst 70:693–707
Rodríguez E, CastellaJ, Andrés L de, Cornudella R (1984) Lung cancer in patients with tracheostomy due to cancer of the larynx. Respiration 46:323–327
Sherman JO, Staley CJ, Shields TW (1967) Double primary tumors of larynx and lung. Arch Surg 94:550–558
Stalpers LJA, Verbeek ALM, Daal WAJ van (1987) Results of radiotherapy and surgery for glottic carcinoma. Cancer Treat Rev 14:131–141
Stalpers LJA, Vierzen PBJ van, Brouns JJA, Bruaset I, Manni JJ, Verbeek ALM, Ruys JHJ, Daal WAJ van (1989) The role of yearly chest radiography in the early detection of lung cancer following oral cancer. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 18:99–103
UICC-International Union Against Cancer (1978) UICCTNM classification of malignant tumours. UICC, Geneva, pp 33–37
Wagenfeld DJH, Harwood AR, Bryce DP, Nostrand AWP van, Boer G de (1980) Second primary respiratory tract malignancies in glottic carcinoma. Cancer 46:1883–1886
Wagenfeld DJH, Harwood AR, Bryce DP, Nostrand AWP van, Boer G de (1981) Second primary respiratory tract malignant neoplasms in supraglottic carcinoma. Arch Otolaryngol 107:135–137
Warren S, Gates O (1932) Multiple primary malignant tumors, a survey of the literature and statistical study. Am J Cancer 16:1358–1414
Waterhouse J, Muir C, Powell J, Shanmugaratnan K (eds) (1982) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 4. WHO-IARC scientific publications no. 42. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon
Wynder EL, Mushinsky MH, Spivak JC (1977) Tobacco and alcohol consumption in relation to the development of multiple primary cancers. Cancer 40:1872–1878
Yellin A, Hill LR, Benfield JR (1986) Bronchogenic carcinoma associated with upper aerodigestive cancers. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 91:674–683
Zagars G, Norante JD (1983) Head and neck tumors. In: Rubin P (ed) Clinical oncology for medical students and physicians — a multidisciplinary approach, 6th edn. American Cancer Society, Rochester
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Correspondence to: L. J. A. Stalpers
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Engelen, A.M., Stalpers, L.J.A., Manni, J.J. et al. Yearly chest radiography in the early detection of lung cancer following laryngeal cancer. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 249, 364–369 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192255
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192255