Endoscopic approaches feasible in surgery for sinonasal cancer

Ahmed S. Abdelmeguid, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of 239 patients with sinonasal cancer who had endoscopic resection conducted and were followed for a median of 46.6 months. Survival outcomes and surgical complications were examined.

The researchers found that 70 percent and 30 percent of the patients had a pure endonasal endoscopic approach and endoscopic-assisted approach, respectively. Overall, 5.9 percent of patients had postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. In 87.4 percent of patients, negative margins were achieved. The pure endoscopic and endoscopic-assisted groups did not differ significantly in terms of margin status (P = 0.682). Between the groups there was no significant difference in survival outcomes.

"The results of this large series of patients add to the evolving experience of the use of endoscopic approaches in management of sinonasal and skull base malignancies," the authors write. "Our data suggest that in properly selected patients, endoscopic approaches have low morbidity and low complication rates and can provide an oncologically sound [alternative] to open approaches."