Four synchronous primary cancers of the aerodigestive tract and thyroid

Abstract

We report the case of a 60-year-old man with 4 concurrent primary cancers: thyroid papillary carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, gastric stromal tumor, and nodular goiter. A minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy with 3-field lymph node resection played a major role in the diagnosis and resection of all primary tumors in the same sitting. Multiorgan primary cancers are not uncommon but pose challenges in diagnosis and treatment. The mechanism of development is unknown but exposure to the same carcinogens in multiple organs has been implicated.

Keywords: Esophageal carcinoma; Gastrointestinal stromal tumors; Non-small cell lung cancer; Thyroid papillary carcinoma; multi-organ primary carcinoma.