Sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinomas: clinical outcomes and predictive factors

This is a retrospective study of 11 patients treated for sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACCs) between 1989 and 2008. The authors statistically analysed the epidemiological, clinical, histological and therapeutic aspects of this series of patients with sinonasal ACCs and their impact in terms of overall and disease-free survival established using the Kaplan-Meier method. A search for prognostic factors was made using a log-rank test. There were 5 women (45.4%) and 6 men (54.6%). Average age at diagnosis was 52.2 years (24-75 years). Mean follow-up of patients was 63 months (11-142 months). Tumours were classified as T1 in 9%, T2 in 45.4% and T4 in 45.4% of cases. Disease-free survival rates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 83%, 41% and 18%, respectively, and overall survival rates were 100%, 64% and 35%, respectively. Surgery followed or not by radiotherapy resulted in better survival than other treatment, regardless of tumour stage. Better disease-free survival with postoperative radiotherapy was not found. These tumours should be treated by surgical resection with clear margins followed by adjuvant radiotherapy.