Treatment outcomes of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma: 30 cases from a single institution

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To establish the clinical features and prognostic factors of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients with histopathological diagnosis of sinonasal ACC who were treated at Severance Hospital between 1990 and 2010 were included in this retrospective chart review study. RESULTS: The 5-year disease-specific survival and disease-free survival rates were 75.3% and 37.2%, respectively. The maxillary sinus (63.3%) and nasal cavity (23.3%) were the most common sites of primary tumour. Most patients were diagnosed with advanced-stage (III/IV) disease (80.0%) and had undergone surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (70.0%). The most common histopathological subtype was cribriform type (40.9%). Local recurrence rate and distant metastasis rates were 26.7% and 23.3%, respectively. The mean time from primary treatment to recurrence was 44.5 months. Sinonasal ACC patients with stage IV and T4 disease had significantly worse survival than those with low stage and T disease. Patients with local recurrence had worse disease-specific survival than those with distant recurrence. Distant metastasis was associated with disease-free survival but not disease-specific survival. CONCLUSION: Despite the frequent occurrence of distant metastasis, early diagnosis and effective local control seemed to be the most important factors influencing the survival of sinonasal ACC.