CRANIOFACIAL RESECTION FOR TUMORS OF THE NASAL CAVITY AND PARANASAL SINUSES - A 17-YEAR EXPERIENCE

Background. The rarity of sinonasal tumors has precluded long-term fol low-up of large series of craniofacial resections until now. Methods. A series of 209 patients suffering from a wide range of histologies wh o had undergone craniofacial resection for sinonasal neoplasia with up to 17 years' follow-up were analyzed. Results. An overall actuarial s urvival of 51% at 5 years and 41% at 10 years was found for the cohort as a whole. For malignant tumors, the 5-year actuarial survival was 4 4%, falling to 32% at 10 years. For benign pathology, the actuarial su rvival was 75% at both 5 and 10 years. Statistical analysis identified three factors which significantly affect outcome and survival: malign ant histology, brain involvement, and orbital involvement. Few complic ations are associated with the surgery, with the mean postoperative st ay being 16 days. Conclusions. The improved survival and minimal morbi dity and mortality associated with craniofacial resection make it the optimum approach to sinonasal tumors. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.