Endonasal micro-endoscopic treatment of malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses and anterior skull base

ObjectiveTo describe and analyze outcomes of the “multilayer centripetal technique” and “cranioendoscopic technique” in the treatment of malignancies of the sinonasal tract.Materials and methodsFrom June 1997 to June 2005, 67 patients with malignant tumors of the sinonasal tract were treated. A total of 49 patients underwent a sole endoscopic endonasal treatment and 18 a cranio-endoscopic treatment. The follow-up lasted from 6 to 108 months. American Joint Committee on Cancer-Union Internationale Contre le Cancer staging was: T1 = 17, T2 = 4, T3 = 9, T4a = 11, and T4b = 16. Esthesioneuroblastoma cases were staged according to Kadish: 3 = A, 4 = B, and 3 = C. All patients underwent surgical therapy but with different therapeutic intent: curative, salvage, or palliative.ResultsStatistical analysis showed a 2-year survival rate higher than 80% in all histologic types of tumors, except for melanomas, according to other investigators in the literature.ConclusionsIn this preliminary study, the endoscopic technique alone or in association with the cranial approach, in select cases, seems to be an effective method in the treatment of sinonasal tumors.