Squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus: analysis of 66 cases

A retrospective review was performed of 66 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus. The majority of patients presented with tumors classified as T3 (31.8%) and T4 (54.5%). Seven (10.6%) patients presented initially with neck metastases and 13 (19.7%) patients subsequently developed regional disease. For the 66 patients studied, the observed 5 and 10 year actuarial survival rate was 27.3% and 20.7% respectively. The presence of cervical metastases, particularly when they developed subsequent to initial therapy, was associated with a poorer survival rate. Five year survival rate for patients without cervical metastases was 32.6% in contrast to 28.6% for patients initially presenting with nodal disease and 7.7% for patients who subsequently developed regional metastases. Overall, 5-year survival rate for all patients with cervical metastases was 15.0%. A combined treatment regimen (surgery and radiation therapy) appeared to be superior to single modality therapy. A 58.0% observed 5-year actuarial survival rate was achieved with combined therapy. Surgery or radiation therapy when used alone as a single modality resulted in a 5-year survival rate of 20.0% and 15.7% respectively.