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The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology
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Role of PET-CT scan in synchronous primary cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract: a case report

The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology volume 32, pages 75–78 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Oral field cancerization though not a new concept, has time and again, proven to be a challenge to the clinician, in terms of diagnosis and management. Prolonged exposure of the aerodigestive tract to carcinogens causes multifocal cancers. Intraepithelial migration of dysplastic or clonal cells becomes the seed for different primaries in the same field. The probability of synchronous malignancies should be borne in mind while evaluating a patient with head and neck cancer. With the advent of highly specific diagnostic tools like the PET scan, the chances of missing a second primary are eliminated/negligible. This is a case report on a patient who was found to have multiple primaries on clinical and radiological evaluation. Patient underwent multimodality treatment with chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery and is currently under follow-up. We aim to highlight the role of PET scanning in the evaluation of head and neck cancer to prevent missing a second primary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, 632004

    Ramanathan Chandrasekharan MS, DLO, Zoremsangi Ralte, Roshna R. Paul & George A. Mathew

Authors
  1. Ramanathan Chandrasekharan MS, DLO
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  2. Zoremsangi Ralte
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  3. Roshna R. Paul
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  4. George A. Mathew
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Correspondence to Ramanathan Chandrasekharan MS, DLO.

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Chandrasekharan, R., Ralte, Z., Paul, R.R. et al. Role of PET-CT scan in synchronous primary cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract: a case report. Egypt J Otolaryngol 32, 75–78 (2016). https://doi.org/10.4103/1012-5574.175864

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/1012-5574.175864

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