Andrea Bolzoni Villaret

Endoscopic surgery for malignant tumors of the sinonasal tract and adjacent skull base: a 10-year experience.

Background The increasing expertise in the field of transnasal endoscopic surgery recently has expanded its indications to include the management of sinonasal malignancies. We report our experience with the endoscopic management of nasoethmoidal malignancies possibly involving the adjacent skull base. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of patients treated by an exclusive endoscopic approach (EEA) or a cranioendoscopic approach (CEA) from 1996 to 2006 managed by two surgical teams at the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology of the University of Brescia, and the University of Pavia/Insubria-Varese, Italy. Results One-hundred eighty-four patients were considered eligible for the present analysis. An EEA was performed in 134 patients and the remaining 50 patients underwent the CEA. The most frequent histotypes encountered were adenocarcinoma (37%), squamous cell carcinoma (13.6%), olfactory neuroblastoma (12%), mucosal melanoma (9.2%), and adenoid cystic carcinoma (7.1%). Overall, 86 (46.7%) patients received some form of adjuvant treatment. The patients were followed up for a mean of 34.1 months (range, 2-123 months). The 5-year disease-specific survival was 91.4 ± 3.9% and 58.8 ± 8.6% (p = 0.0004) for the EEA and CEA group, respectively. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series reported to date of malignant tumors of the sinonasal tract and adjacent skull base treated with pure endoscopic or cranioendoscopic techniques. A 5-year disease-specific survival of 91.4% and 58.8% for the EEA and the CEA groups, respectively, seem to indicate that endoscopic surgery, when properly planned and in expert hands, may be a valid alternative to standard surgical approaches for the management of malignancies of the sinonasal tract.

Endoscopic surgery for juvenile angiofibroma: a critical review of indications after 46 cases.

Background At present, transnasal endoscopic surgery is considered a viable option in the management of small–intermediate size juvenile angiofibromas (JAs). The authors critically review their 14-year experience in the management of this lesion to refine selection criteria for an endoscopic approach. Methods From January 1994 to May 2008, 46 patients were treated by a pure endoscopic resection after vascular embolization (87%). The lesions were classified according to Andrews (Andrews JC, et al., The surgical management of extensive nasopharyngeal angiofibromas with the infratemporal fossa approach, Laryngoscope 99:429–437, 1989) and Önerci (Önerci M, et al. Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: A revised staging system, Rhinology 44:39–45, 2006) staging systems. All patients were followed by regular endoscopic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. Results Lesions were classified as follows: stage I, n = 5; stage II, n = 24; stage IIIa, n = 14; stage IIIb, n = 3 according to Andrews classification system; stage 1, n = 9; stage II, n = 12; stage III, n = 26 according to Önercis system. Unilateral blood supply was detected in 39 (85%) cases. Feeding vessels from the internal carotid artery (ICA) were also reported in 14 (30%) patients. Intraoperative blood loss ranged from 250 to 1300 mL (mean, 580 mL). In four (8.7%) cases, suspicious residual disease was detected by MRI. In one patient, a 1-cm persistent lesion was endoscopically removed because septoplasty was required and a slight increase in size was noticed. The other three lesions, all located in the root of the pterygoid plate, are nearly stable in size and are currently under MRI follow-up. Conclusion The improvement of surgical instrumentation and the experience acquired during a 14-year period have contributed to expanding the indications for endoscopic surgery in the management of JAs. Even stage III lesions may be successfully managed, unless the ICA is encased or if it provides an extensive blood supply. An external approach may be required when critical structures such as the ICA, cavernous sinus, or optic nerve are involved by lesions that are persistent after previous treatment; such a situation may prevent safe and radical dissection with a pure endoscopic approach. Better understanding of the factors influencing the growth of residual lesions is needed to differentiate those requiring re-treatment from those which can be simply observed.

Fungus ball of the paranasal sinuses: experience in 160 patients treated with endoscopic surgery.

Herein we present our experience in the management of fungus ball (FB) of the paranasal sinuses. Preoperative imaging strategy and findings, surgical technique, and pathologic and microbiologic results are discussed.

Primary Tumor Staging for Oral Cancer and a Proposed Modification Incorporating Depth of Invasion: An International Multicenter Retrospective Study

IMPORTANCE The current American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for oral cancer demonstrates wide prognostic variability within each primary tumor stage and provides suboptimal staging and prognostic information for some patients. OBJECTIVE To determine if a modified staging system for oral cancer that integrates depth of invasion (DOI) into the T categories improves prognostic performance compared with the current AJCC T staging. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective analysis of 3149 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma treated with curative intent at 11 comprehensive cancer centers worldwide between 1990 and 2011 with surgery ± adjuvant therapy, with a median follow-up of 40 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES We assessed the impact of DOI on disease-specific and overall survival in multivariable Cox proportional hazard models and investigated for institutional heterogeneity using 2-stage random effects meta-analyses. Candidate staging systems were developed after identification of optimal DOI cutpoints within each AJCC T category using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio tests. Staging systems were evaluated using the Harrel concordance index (C-index), AIC, and visual inspection for stratification into distinct prognostic categories, with internal validation using bootstrapping techniques. RESULTS The mean and median DOI were 12.9 mm and 10.0 mm, respectively. On multivariable analysis, DOI was a significantly associated with disease-specific survival (P < .001), demonstrated no institutional prognostic heterogeneity (I² = 6.3%; P = .38), and resulted in improved model fit compared with T category alone (lower AIC, P < .001). Optimal cutpoints of 5 mm in T1 and 10 mm in T2-4 category disease were used to develop a modified T staging system that was preferred to the AJCC system on the basis of lower AIC, visual inspection of Kaplan-Meier curves, and significant improvement in bootstrapped C-index. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We propose an improved oral cancer T staging system based on incorporation of DOI that should be considered in future versions of the AJCC staging system after external validation.

Endoscopic Resection of Sinonasal Malignancies

Malignant tumors of the sinonasal tract are rare, accounting for only 1% of all malignancies. Although they are associated with substantial histological heterogeneity, surgery plays a key role in their management. This review addresses the evolution of current treatments in view of the introduction of endoscopic resection techniques. The absence of facial incisions and osteotomies, decreased hospitalization time, better control of bleeding, improved visualization of tumor borders, and reduced morbidity and mortality rate are the major advantages of endoscopic techniques in comparison to traditional external approaches. The major criticisms focus on oncologic results in view of the short/intermediate follow-up of large series, which have commonly grouped together several histologies that may be associated with different prognoses. Since prospective studies contrasting the results of endoscopic and craniofacial resections are difficult to carry out given the rarity of the disease together with ethical issues, the creation of a large database would favor the analysis of several variables related to the patient, tumor, and treatment on survival performed on a large number of patients.

Endoscopic transnasal craniectomy in the management of selected sinonasal malignancies.

Background Because of a better understanding of the anatomy from an endoscopic perspective, the acquisition of surgical experience, and concomitant technological advances, endoscopic resection of the anterior skull base (ASB) and overlying dura has now become a reality, opening new possibilities in the management of sinonasal malignancies. Here, the authors review a series of 62 patients, the largest reported to date, who underwent endoscopic transnasal craniectomy (ETC) and endoscopic dural repair for the management of selected sinonasal malignancies. Special emphasis is placed on the surgical technique, technical tricks, choice of materials for endoscopic dural repair, postoperative management, and complications. Methods From 2004, 62 patients underwent ETC at two referral hospitals, which extended anteroposteriorly from the frontal sinus to planum sphenoidale and laterolaterally from the nasal septum to the lamina papyracea (unilateral resection, n = 28; 45%) or from papyracea to papyracea (bilateral resection, n = 34; 55%). Duraplasty with a three-layer technique was performed using the iliotibial tract and fat tissue. Results The most frequent histotypes were adenocarcinoma (58%) and olfactory neuroblastoma (22%). Forty-five (73%) patients were previously untreated. The incidence of early (T1–2, Kadish A-B) and advanced (T3–4, Kadish C) tumors was similar. The complication rate was 15%, mostly cerebrospinal fluid leaks (13%). Its prevalence did not correlate with patient age, medical comorbidities, previous treatment, presence of ASB involvement, or whether ETC was mono- or bilateral, but tended to correlate with advanced tumor stage, dural involvement, and the period of treatment. After a mean follow-up of 17.5 months (range, 1–54 months), 58 (94%) patients had no evidence of disease. Conclusions In correctly selected patients with sinonasal tumors involving the ASB, ETC offers a less invasive alternative than resection by an open approach with an acceptable morbidity.

Quality of life following endoscopic endonasal resection of anterior skull base cancers.

OBJECT For several decades, the exclusive purpose in the management of anterior skull base malignancies has been to increase survival rates. Recently, given the improved prognosis achieved, more attention has been focused on quality of life (QOL) as well. Producing data on QOL in anterior skull base cancers is hampered by the rarity of the neoplasm and the lack of specific questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to assess health-related QOL in a large and homogeneous cohort of patients affected by anterior skull base cancers who had undergone endoscopic endonasal resection. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective review of patients treated for sinonasal and skull base cancers via an endoscopic endonasal approach at two Italian tertiary care referral centers. All patients were asked to complete the Anterior Skull Base Surgery Questionnaire to evaluate their QOL before and 1 month and 1 year after surgical treatment. To assess which parameters affect QOL, the study population was divided into subgroups according to age, sex, stage of disease, surgical approach, and adjuvant therapy. RESULTS One hundred fifty-three patients were enrolled in this study according to the adopted inclusion criteria. Overall QOL started at a score of 4.68 for the preoperative period, sharply decreased as far as a score of 4.03 during the 1st postoperative month, and rose again to a score of 4.59 over the course of 1 year after treatment, with a significant difference among the 3 values (p < 0.05). The specific symptoms and physical status domains registered poorer results at the 1-year assessment (4.00 and 4.71, respectively) than at the preoperative assessment (both domains 4.86), with a statistically significant reduction in scores (p < 0.05). Worse outcomes were associated with several variables: age > 60 years (difference of 0.21 points between the preoperative and 1-year period, p < 0.05), expanded surgical approaches with transnasal craniectomy (decrease of 0.20 points between the preoperative and 1-year period, p < 0.05), and postoperative radiotherapy (score of 4.53 at the 1-year period vs. 4.70 in patients without any adjuvant treatment, p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found when analyzing the study population according to sex (p > 0.1) and T classification of disease at presentation (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Radical endoscopic endonasal resection led to either complete or at least partial recovery of patient QOL within the 1st postoperative year.

Juvenile Angiofibroma: Evolution of Management

Juvenile angiofibroma is a rare benign lesion originating from the pterygopalatine fossa with distinctive epidemiologic features and growth patterns. The typical patient is an adolescent male with a clinical history of recurrent epistaxis and nasal obstruction. Although the use of nonsurgical therapies is described in the literature, surgery is currently considered the ideal treatment for juvenile angiofibroma. Refinement in preoperative embolization has provided significant reduction of complications and intraoperative bleeding with minimal risk of residual disease. During the last decade, an endoscopic technique has been extensively adopted as a valid alternative to external approaches in the management of small-intermediate size juvenile angiofibromas. Herein, we review the evolution in the management of juvenile angiofibroma with particular reference to recent advances in diagnosis and treatment.

Endoscopic endonasal surgery for malignancies of the anterior cranial base

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 surgeons armamentarium for the treatment of sinonasal and skull base malignancies.

Endoscopic Endonasal Nasopharyngectomy in Selected Cancers

Objective To describe the different surgical techniques for nasopharyngeal endoscopic resection (NER) and to support the efficacy of the endoscopic endonasal approach in the management of selected primary and locally recurrent nasopharyngeal tumors (NPTs). Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Patients affected by NPTs who underwent NER from 1997 to 2011 at two Italian referral centers. Subjects and Methods NER was tailored to the NPT extension and classified as follows: type 1 NER, resection of the posterior nasopharyngeal wall; type 2 NER, resection superiorly extended to the sphenoid; type 3 NER, trans-pterygoid approach to the postero-lateral nasopharynx with removal of pterygoid plates and Eustachian tube, under control of parapharyngeal-petrous-cavernous segments of the internal carotid artery. Results Thirty-six consecutive patients with primary (9 cases) or locally recurrent (27 cases) NPTs were enrolled. The lesions were staged as follows: stage I, 16 (44.4%); stage II, 3 (8.4%); stage III, 15 (41.6%); and stage IVA, 2 (5.6%). Type 1 NER was performed in 6 cases, type 2 NER in 12, type 3 NER in 16, and bilateral-extended type 3 NER in 2. No perioperative mortality or major complications were observed. Postoperatively, 11 patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 173 months (mean: 38 months). Five years overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survivals were 75.1% ± 9.13%, 80.9% ± 7.79%, and 58.1% ± 14.8%, respectively. Conclusion NER is a feasible and minimally invasive surgical approach for the management of selected primary and locally recurrent NPTs. Our preliminary outcomes are promising, with local control rates comparable to those of conventional procedures. Larger case series and longer follow-up are needed to validate the reproducibility and efficacy of the technique.