Synchronous esophageal and renal cell carcinoma: incidence and possible treatment strategies.
BACKGROUND
The occurrence of synchronous malignancies in patients suffering from esophageal cancer is a frequent phenomenon, but the reported incidence of synchronous renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is very low. The present study investigated the incidence of synchronously detected RCC since the introduction of preoperative CT scans in a tertiary referral center for esophageal cancer patients.


METHODS
The medical records of 392 consecutive patients included in a prospective database of patients scheduled to undergo surgery for esophageal tumors were scrutinized for the presence of renal neoplasms. The coincidence of esophageal cancer and RCC was then estimated by analyzing only those patients who were operated on for an esophageal malignancy after a CT scan was obtained.


RESULTS
192 patients were operated on for an esophageal malignancy after abdominal CT scanning was performed. RCC was diagnosed in 4 of these patients resulting in an incidence of synchronous esophageal and renal malignancies of 2.1%.


CONCLUSIONS
Since the introduction of CT scanning the incidence of synchronous RCC in esophageal cancer patients appears to be much higher than previously reported and suggests a genetic and/or environmental association between these malignancies. Simultaneous treatment of both tumors appeared safe at our institute.
de Hingh
I H J T
IH
Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
van Berge Henegouwen
M I
MI
Laguna Pes
M P
MP
Busch
O R C
OR
van Lanschot
J J B
JJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed