Improved clinical outcomes with multi-modality therapy for sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma of the head and neck

Objective: To examine outcomes among patients treated for sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) of the head and neck. Study design Retrospective review. Methods: The records of 16 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic SNUC were analyzed. Initial treatment consisted of: surgery alone (6 patients), surgery with post-operative chemoradiotherapy (4 patients), and primary radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy (6 patients). Results: The median survival for patients treated by surgery followed by postoperative chemoradiotherapy was 30 months compared to 7 months and 9 months for patients treated by surgery alone and upfront chemoradiotherapy, respectively (p = 0.20). The 2-year locoregional control was 18% for patients treated with upfront chemoradiotherapy, 37% for patients treated with surgery alone, and 78% for patients treated with surgery plus chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.49). Conclusion While the potential role of selection bias must be considered, multi-modality therapy using surgery and post-operative chemoradiotherapy yielded the most favorable outcomes for SNUC and should be recommended whenever feasible.