Safety of esophagogastroduodenoscopy-guided forceps biopsy and the feasibility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy for evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer

BACKGROUND: There is currently no established standard tissue sampling method for hypopharyngeal cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for the pretreatment evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer and the safety of EGD-guided forceps biopsy. METHODS: We reviewed nine patients with hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent EGD for the evaluation of tumor extent and tissue biopsy from March 2014 to March 2017 at International St. Mary’s Hospital. One experienced endoscopist performed all the EGD procedures in the presence of a head and neck surgeon. The procedure included determining tumor location, extent (presence of pyriform sinus apex involvement), and size, and passing the endoscope through the upper esophageal sphincter. The success rate of tissue sampling was assessed, and procedure-related complications were recorded. RESULTS: All patients were male, with a mean age of 69.9 ± 10.9 years (range 61–69 years). Tissue sampling using biopsy forceps was performed in 6/9 patients (66.7%). No complications related to moderate sedation or biopsy, including post-biopsy bleeding or respiratory distress, were reported. Histologic confirmation was successful in 5/6 patients (83.3%). Upper gastrointestinal lesions were evaluated in 7/9 (77.8%) patients in whom the scope passed through the lesion. CONCLUSIONS: EGD and EGD-guided forceps biopsy may be useful for the evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer extent and tissue sampling, respectively. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12893-019-0571-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.