Objective: Data from several centers worldwide have demonstrated that transnasal endoscopic surgery performed with or without a transcranial approach is capable of achieving radical resection of selected sinonasal malignancies. We report our experience with endoscopic management of sinonasal cancers, with emphasis on naso-ethmoidal malignancies encroaching on the anterior skull base.
Methods: Major series reporting results concerning the endoscopic endonasal approach with or without craniectomy for treatment of sinonasal and anterior skull base cancers were reviewed. Preoperative work-up, indications and exclusion criteria, surgical techniques, postoperative management, and adjuvant therapy are reported.
Results: In the 2 largest series analyzed, the most common malignancies were adenocarcinoma (28%), olfactory neuroblastoma (14.5%), and squamous cell carcinoma (13.5%). The 5-year disease-specific survival rate ranged from 81.9%-87%, with no major differences in the mean follow-up time (34.1 months vs. 37 months).
Conclusions: Endoscopic endonasal resection performed with or without a transcranial approach, when properly planned and in expert hands, has an accepted role with precise indications in the surgeon's armamentarium for the treatment of sinonasal and skull base malignancies.
Keywords: Cranio-endoscopic approach; Craniofacial resection; Endoscopic endonasal approach; Sinonasal cancers; Skull base reconstruction; Skull base surgery.
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