[Malignant disease of the paranasal sinuses (author's transl)]

During the period 1931 to 1974 167 men and 97 women with tumours of the maxilla or of the paranasal sinuses were treated at the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Lainz Hospital. The peak incidence is found in the age group 51 to 70 years. The survival rate is determined by the extent of spread of the tumour. Cases in which the malignant process is still localized in the mucosa, without infiltration of the adjacent bony structures, have a good prognosis and so have the early cases of all tumours of the paranasal sinuses (Stage T1 and T2, according to Schwab) with a 5-year survival rate of 59.3%. Of the late cases (stage T3 and T4), however, no more than 20% survive for 5 years. In sarcomas there is no difference in survival rate between early and late cases because of their natural tendency to systemic spread. The 5-year survival rate is 33% in each group. Chemotherapy of these malignant tumours with Bleomycin appears promising, with a reduction of even massive infiltrations of the osseous structures in squamous cell carcinomas. However, there is no evidence as yet of any increase in 5-year survival rate with this type of therapy.