The role of histology on the outcome of sinonasal carcinomas treated with radiotherapy: a single institution experience

Sinonasal malignancies are a rare group of head and neck cancers. We aimed to report the oncological outcomes based on histological types in patients who underwent radiotherapy. In this single-institution study, we retrospectively retrieved and analyzed data of patients with sinonasal carcinomas who underwent radiotherapy during 2011-2016 as part of their treatment. The 3-year rate of local, regional, and distant recurrences, and overall survival were evaluated according to the histological type. A total of 28 patients were evaluated in this study, the majority of whom were male (60%). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), and adenocarcinoma (ADC) were found in 15 patients (53.5%), 8 (28.5%), and 5 (18%), respectively. The highest rates of local and regional recurrences were observed in ACC and SCC, respectively. Distant recurrences were numerically more common in ADC. The 3-year OS was 48%, 50%, and 73% in SCC, ADC, and ACC, respectively. Different histopathologies of sinonasal cancer seem to have different patterns of failure, and this may be considered in the treatment approach.