Squamous cell carcinoma of maxillary sinus

Background. Medical records of 43 patients with histologically proved diagn osis of squamous cell carcinoma who were treated between the years 1975 and 1994 at the department of Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, VU Amsterdam w ere examined. Methods. Tumors were restaged according to UICC classification 1997. Thirty -eight patients were treated for cure, nine were treated with chemotherapy followed by external beam radiotherapy, and 28 patients were treated with s urgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy. No patient was lost to follo w-up. Data with respect to survival were analyzed. Results. Eighty-three percent of the tumours were in stage ill or stage IV at the time of first presentation. Five-year survival after surgery and pos toperative radiotherapy for all patients was 64%. For stages II, III, and I V it was 83%, 49%, and 37%, respectively. Cervical nodal metastases were pr esent in 4.1% at the time of presentation, thirty-seven percent of the pati ents survived 2 years after chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. Conclusions. Squamous cell carcinoma continues to be diagnosed late. Surger y followed by radiotherapy remains the treatment of choice. Mandibulotomy s hould be considered for better clearance of retromaxillary space in T3 -T4 tumors. The eye should be preserved whenever it is oncologically safe to do so. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.