Brush cytology for the early detection of esophageal carcinoma among patients with upper aerodigestive malignancies.

The incidence of associated esophageal carcinoma (EC) among patients with upper aerodigestive tract malignancies is high. Esophageal brush cytology, as developed and evaluated as a screening device for early detection of EC among villagers of northeastern Iran, was employed to examine 56 clinic patients with known tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract on 106 occasions. Two asymptomatic EC were detected and are presented. The procedure was also used as an adjunct to endoscopy in order to monitor the response of tumors under treatment. Sensitivity of 40% and specificity of 90% were found and could be improved with more judicious application of the procedure. The use of this simple test for early detection of EC among this high risk subset of clinic patients is recommended.