title: Treatment-outcome for synchronous head-and-neck and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although head & neck and oesophageal carcinomas occur synchronously in up to 12%, almost no data on feasibility and outcome after radiotherapy are available.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1989 to 2002, 24 patients were treated at Tuebingen University and Fulda hospital with a radiation based, curative approach. These were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median overall survival was 37 (1-69) months with a few long-term survivors with a median follow-up of 26 months for patients at risk. 7 local recurrences occurred. No major toxicity was seen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though the prognosis of synchronous head & neck and oesophageal carcinomas is grim, long-term survival is possible. A radiation-based approach is feasible and can be chosen for a curative treatment approach which we recommend.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. stefan.welz@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Welz
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hehr
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Horst-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Budach
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bamberg
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Belka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome