Mutagen Sensitivity as a Risk Factor for Second Malignant Tumors Following Malignancies of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract

Background: Second malignant tumors in patients successfully treated for an initial cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Biologic markers capable of identifying high-risk subgroups of patients who could be targeted for intensive clinical surveillance, therefore, have immense therapeutic and prognostic relevance. We previously demonstrated in a pilot study of 84 patients with cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract that mutagen sensitivity was a significant predictor of risk of developing second malignant tumors. Purpose: We extended the study to include 278 patients diagnosed with previously untreated cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract from 1987 to August 1993