[Incidence of esophageal cancer synchronous with upper aerodigestive tract cancers (100 cases): value of vital staining with lugol and toluidine blue]. / Fréquence du cancer de l'oesophage synchrone des cancers des voies aéro-digestives supérieures (100 cas): intérêt des colorations vitales au lugol et au bleu de toluidine.

A number of studies have demonstrated a high incidence of synchronous or metachronous esophageal carcinoma in association with carcinoma of head and neck. Carcinoma of the esophagus must be systematically looked for before the treatment of head-neck carcinomas and during follow-up. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of synchronous esophageal carcinoma in patients with head and neck carcinoma and to evaluate the advantages of lugol and toluidine blue vital staining in fiberoptic endoscopy. One hundred patients (97 males and 3 females, mean age 54.9 years) were studied. A fiberoptic esophagoscopy was performed in all patients. Vital staining was realized with 5 p. 100 lugol in 40 cases and with 1 p. 100 toluidine blue e in 20 cases. Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus was observed in 12 patients, typical grossly in 5 cases and occult in 7 cases. In these latter cases, lugol (2 cases) or toluidine blue (5 cases) stain facilitated the forceps biopsies. Histological examination was positive in all cases. The incidence of esophageal carcinoma synchronous to carcinoma of the mouth was high (35.3 p. 100). Lugol vital staining seems to be sensitive, non-specific and easy to realize. Toluidine blue staining calls for a more difficult and prolonged technique. Although it can reveal occult carcinoma, false positive or negative results may be observed.