Background Determining surgical trends and outcomes for sinonasal malignancies has been difficult
given the rarity of these tumors. As such, studies comparing open and endoscopic surgical
approaches are lacking in both quantity and sample size.
Methods Patients with sinonasal malignancies in the NCDB diagnosed after 2010 were assessed
for data regarding surgical approach. Tumor, patient, and institution-specific factors
that contributed to selecting endoscopic surgery were examined. Secondary analysis
included a multivariate Cox regression analysis.
Results There were 2,015 patients with confirmed sinonasal malignancies and available data
for TNM stage, surgical approach, and adjuvant treatment. Of these, 563 underwent
an endoscopic surgical approach. Compared with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma
(OR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.79−3.94, p < 0.0001), adenoid cystic carcinoma (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.26−3.03, p = 0.003), mucosal melanoma (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.61−3.20, p < 0.0001), sarcomas (OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.28−4.39, p = 0.006), esthesioneuroblastoma (OR: 3.07, 95% CI: 2.17−4.36, p < 0.0001), and sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.06−4.15,
p = 0.033) were more likely to undergo an endoscopic surgical approach. Among sinonasal
subsites, primary sphenoid (OR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.12−6.06, p = 0.027) tumors were more likely to undergo an endoscopic surgical approach while
maxillary (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.45−0.82, p = 0.001) tumors were less likely to undergo an endoscopic approach compared with
nasal cavity tumors. Only T4 tumors were less likely to undergo endoscopic surgery
compared with T1 tumors (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.52−0.96, p = 0.026). Lastly, positive margins were not more likely to occur with the endoscopic
surgical approach (OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.61−1.07, p = 0.143).
Conclusion These data demonstrate surgical treatment trends for sinonasal malignancies in the
United States. Compared with SCC, other sinonasal malignancies were more likely to
undergo an endoscopic surgical approach. Positive margin rates were not different
among endoscopic and open approaches.