Recurrent Esthesioneuroblastoma: Long-Term Outcomes of Salvage Therapy

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is a rare malignant neoplasm arising from the olfactory epithelium of the cribriform plate. Although survival is excellent with a reported 5-year overall survival (OS) of 82%, recurrence is frequent and occurs in 40-50% of cases. This study investigates the characteristics of ENB recurrence and the subsequent prognosis of patients with recurrence.

The clinical records of all patients diagnosed as having ENB with subsequent recurrence at a tertiary hospital from 1 January 1960 to 1 January 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were reported.

A total of 64 out of 143 ENB patients had recurrences. In total, 45 out of 64 recurrences met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. From these, 10 (22%) had a sinonasal recurrence, 14 (31%) had an intracranial recurrence, 15 (33%) had a regional recurrence, and 6 (13%) had a distal recurrence. The average interval from initial treatment to recurrence was 4.74 years. There were no differences in rates of recurrence with respect to age, sex, or types of surgery (endoscopic, transcranial, lateral rhinotomy, and combined). The time to recurrence was shorter for Hyams grades 3 and 4 compared to Hyams grades 1 and 2 (3.75 years vs. 5.70 years, p < 0.05). Patients with recurrence limited to the sinonasal region had a lower overall primary Kadish stage compared to recurrences beyond the sinonasal region (2.60 vs. 3.03, p < 0.05). A total of 9 (20%) out of 45 patients developed secondary recurrence. Following recurrence, the subsequent 5-year OS and PFS were 63 and 56%, respectively. The mean time to secondary recurrence after treatment of the primary recurrence was 32 months, which was significantly shorter than the time to primary recurrence (32 months vs. 57 months, p = 0.048). The mean age of the secondary recurrence group is significantly older than the primary recurrence group (59.78 years vs. 50.31 years, p = 0.02). No statistically significant differences were observed between the secondary recurrence group and the recurrence group in terms of their overall Kadish stages or Hyams grades.

Following an ENB recurrence, salvage therapy appears to be an effective therapeutic option with a subsequent 5-year OS of 63%. However, subsequent recurrences are not infrequent and may require additional therapy.