Ewing sarcoma of the head and neck: The Mayo Clinic experience

Treatment options of Ewing sarcoma of the head and neck include surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemoradiotherapy. However, local control can be challenging.

We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with head and neck Ewing sarcoma treated from 1972 to 2015 at a single tertiary care hospital.

Seventeen patients met criteria (median 21 years, range 5-58 years; 5 women). Mean follow-up was 10.4 years (range 2.2-39 years). Tumors occurred commonly in the cervical spine (5/17), the skull (3/17), and the paranasal sinuses (3/17). A total of 14 of 17 patients underwent surgical resection, 9 with gross total resection. After multimodality therapy, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 87% and 75%, respectively.

Combined multimodal treatment resulted in a 5-year OS and RFS of 87% and 75%, respectively. Aggressive surgical resection with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy should be considered. Although negative margin surgery is the goal, subtotal resection may be acceptable in the setting of adjuvant treatment.