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 surgeon's armamentarium for the treatment of sinonasal and skull base malignancies.