Pathological evaluation of radiotherapy and concomitant intraarterial cisplatin for maxillary sinus cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Since 2010, we have mainly performed surgical treatment following radiotherapy and concomitant intraarterial cisplatin (RADPLAT) for locally advanced maxillary sinus cancer (MSC). The present study investigated treatment results and pathological evaluations following RADPLAT for MSC.

METHODS: Pathological response to RADPLAT was evaluated using surgical specimens. Pathological response was graded in accordance with the classification method that Shimosato reported in 1964, as grade V (no tumor cells remain in any of section), grade IV, III, II, I, and 0. Five-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Univariate analyses of correlations between recurrence of MSC and other clinicopathological parameters were evaluated using the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests.

RESULT: 19 patients were enrolled in this study, 5 patients showed T3 disease and 14 had T4 disease. One patient demonstrated local recurrence and 3 patients experienced distant metastasis. The 5-year overall survival rate was 67.1% (T3, 50.0%; T4, 69.6%), and the 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 81.9% (T3, 100%; T4, 76.0%). Histological response was categorized as grade V in 9 cases. No significant risk factors for residual cancer were identified.

CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that RADPLAT not only has a low risk of side effects, but also could represent an effective procedure for locally advanced MSC by pathological evaluation. Increasing the therapeutic intensity of RADPLAT might provide an effective modality to avoid highly invasive surgery.