Endoscopic resection of sinonasal mucosal melanoma has comparable outcomes to open approaches

Endoscopic endonasal resection (EER) of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is a newer surgical alternative to traditional external and/or open resection (OR). Studies on long-term outcomes are necessary to validate EER for this aggressive sinonasal malignancy.

To compare outcomes of EER versus OR in SMM.

A case series of patients who underwent surgical resection of SMM at a tertiary-care institution (2000-2015) was studied retrospectively. Demographics, tumor site and stage, surgical approach, surgical margin status, local control, and survival were compared between those who underwent EER and OR.

Twenty-two patients met inclusion criteria. Nine underwent EER and 13 underwent OR. The mean age in the EER and OR groups was similar, 78.7 and 72.3 years, respectively. Two-thirds of patients were women (EER, 66.7%; OR, 61.5%). The nasal cavity was the most common primary tumor site (EER, 77.8%; OR, 84.6%). The local tumor stage in both groups was similar, with the majority of cases being T4 (EER, 55.6%; OR, 61.5%; p = 0.99). Negative margins were achieved in all EERs and in 69.2% of ORs. Median follow-up was 25.0 months for the overall group (range, 1.7-172.9 months), 32.6 months (range, 3.4-58.7 months) for EER and 14.1 months (range, 1.7-172.9 months) for OR cohorts. The 5-year overall survival was statistically similar in both groups (EER, 53.3%; OR, 22.7%; p = 0.214) as was disease-free survival (EER, 55.6%; OR, 22.8%; p = 0.178). Local control, however, was significantly higher in the EER cohort (EER, 85.7%; OR, 37.6%; p = 0.026).

In carefully selected patients with sinonasal melanoma, endoscopic surgery with an experienced team may offer comparable survival and improved local control over open surgery. Prospective, multicentered studies with larger cohorts are needed to validate these results.