RADIATION-THERAPY FOR SINUS MALIGNANCIES

Radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with surgery, is com monly used in the treatment of malignant tumors of the nasal cavity an d paranasal sinuses. If the lesion is resectable, most often resection is undertaken first, followed by postoperative irradiation. Irradiati on alone is generally reserved for other advanced, unrespectable prese ntations or in patients who refuse or cannot undergo operation for med ical reasons. The morbidity of high-dose irradiation alone is thought to exceed the morbidity of combined treatment with a lesser dose of ir radiation, primarily because of the increased risk for ocular or optic nerve complications when high-dose irradiation alone is used.