The risk of second primary tumors in head and neck cancer: A systematic review

BackgroundSecond primary tumors (SPTs) are a common cause of reduced life expectancy in patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC). This phenomenon forms an area to be addressed during posttreatment followâ up.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of literature following PRISMA guidelines, from 1979 to 2019, to investigate incidence of SPTs, synchronous, and metachronous, in HNC population.ResultsOur review includes data of 456â 130 patients from 61 articles. With a minimum followâ up of 22â months, mean incidence of SPTs was 13.2% (95% CI: 11.56â 14.84): 5.3% (95% CI: 4.24â 6.36) for synchronous SPTs and 9.4% (95% CI: 7.9â 10.9) for metachronous SPTs. The most frequent site for SPTs was head and neck area, followed by the lungs and esophagus.ConclusionAlthough with wide variations between studies, the rate of SPTs in HNC patients is high. Given the impact in the prognosis, we must develop strategies for the early diagnosis of SPTs.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154305/1/hed26016_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154305/2/hed26016.pd