Schneiderian papillomas of the pharynx

Sixteen cases of schneiderian-type mucosal papillomas arising in the nasopharynx and oropharynx are reported. The patients include 11 men and 5 women ranging in age from 45 to 79 years (median 62 years). In 12 patients, the papilloma was discovered as an incidental finding, and 2 patients complained of nasal airway obstruction. In the remaining 2 cases, information regarding the cause that led to discovery was unavailable. None of the patients had a prior or concurrent history of sinonasal (schneiderian) papillomas. Histologically, all of the tumors were identical to sinonasal inverted papillomas. Transnasal or transoral surgical excision was the treatment of choice. In 4 of the patients, recurrent tumor occurred within 6 months of initial resection, necessitating additional surgery. Extended follow-up information was available in 9 cases. Eight of the 9 patients are alive and have been free of disease over periods ranging from 15 to 201 months (median 114 months) from diagnosis. One patient was found to have a separate nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma 14 months after the diagnosis of the schneiderian-type papilloma. This patient died secondary to the squamous cell carcinoma 30 months after his initial evaluation.