Dietary habits, ethanol and tobacco consumption as predictive factors in the development of esophageal carcinoma in patients with head and neck neoplasms

Abstract

Patients with primary head and neck cancers have a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate esophageal cancer prevalence, its risk factors (ethanol and tobacco consumption) and dietary habits in patients with head and neck cancer. Three hundred and twenty-six adults with primary head and neck cancer were followed by a retrospective observational study in a general university hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Flexible videoendoscopy with lugol chromoscopy was the method used to investigate esophageal cancer prevalence. All subjects were interviewed face-to-face, revealing detailed information about their tobacco and alcohol use, as well as their dietary habits. Thirty-six patients with esophageal cancer were diagnosed and the overall prevalence rate was 11.04%. Patients who developed second esophageal tumors had the following characteristics: earlier age of initial ethanol consumption (P < 0.05), longer duration period of ethanol consumption (P < 0.05) and higher weekly consumption rate (P < 0.05). There was an increased risk of esophageal carcinoma in those patients who both smoked and drank (P < 0.05). There was no association between carcinoma of the esophagus and dietary habits in patients who developed esophageal neoplasms, compared with those who did not. Prevalence rate of esophageal neoplasms was 11.04% in patients with head and neck carcinoma, whose ethanol consumption was associated with esophageal cancer. There was an increased risk between ethanol and tobacco consumption and esophageal carcinoma development. On the other hand, there was no association regarding dietary habits between patients who developed esophageal cancer and those who did not.

Endoscopic Detection of Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients with Achalasia: Narrow-Band Imaging versus Lugol's Staining

“…Thus, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with Lugol's staining is still considered the best method for the diagnosis and delimitation of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [27–29]. …”

Effects of Green Tea, Black Tea, and Coffee Consumption on the Risk of Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

“…One study (38) was excluded as no adjustment for OR was presented. One study (39) in which the patients had head and neck cancer baseline was excluded.…”

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“…In addition, another study in China showed that subjects who consumed pickled foods had a 1.76-fold increased risk of ESCC compared with subjects who did not consume pickled foods 27 . Fungi in pickles induce animal cancer 28 . However, epidemiological studies on this topic remain controversial.…”