Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: a 13-year experience at a single institution

We present our experience with sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma at the University of Michigan over 13 years and review prior published data. We conducted a retrospective review of 19 patients who presented to a tertiary care academic center multidisciplinary skull base clinic with sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma between 1995 and 2008. Overall survival was 22% at 5 years, and the estimated 5-year distant metastasis-free survival was 35%. At 2 years, local control was 83%, regional control was 50%, and distant control was 83%. Local control was best in those patients treated nonsurgically, as was median survival, though this was not statistically significant. Nodal disease in the neck, either at presentation or at recurrence, was noted in 26% of patients. Survival for sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma remains poor. It is possible that up-front radiation or chemoradiation will lead to better local control rates, though surgery remains a mainstay of treatment. In all cases, the cervical nodes should be addressed with primary treatment.