title: [Malignant maxillary tumors involving the pterygo-maxillary and infratemporal fossae: a series of 200 cases].
abstract: At the Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit of the Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori in Milan, Italy between 1987 and 1999 200 anterior cranio-facial resections were performed on malignant ethmoid tumors involving the anterior cranial base and extending to the nasal fossae and, at times to the orbit and maxillary and sphenoid sinuses. In the second portion of this case study the authors simplified their surgical technique. The frontal craniotomy was made rectangular and low, performed with an oscillating saw and scalpel, without drilling holes. The osteotomy of the cranial base was modulated according to tumor extension. Typically a paralateronasal facial incision was performed without opening the upper lip. Whenever the maxillary sinus and/or orbit were involved, the skin incision and osteotomy was consequently modified. Repair of the cranial base was performed with a pedicled pericranial flap. In this case study there were 6 post-operative deaths in the first 30 patients and only 2 in the remaining 170. The male/female ratio was 145/55, mean age 55 years (12-80) and average follow-up 38 months (2-117). There were 120 primary tumors while the remaining 80 patients presented recurrences from prior treatments. There were 96 adenocarcinomas, 42 spinocellular carcinomas, 21 esthesioneuroblastoma 15 adenoid-cystic carcinomas, 9 melanomas and 17 rare tumors. Our classification identified the following stages: 69 T2, 54 T3 and 77 T4 while the UICC-AJCC staging system indicated: 25 T1, 16 T2, 68 T3 and 91 T4. The NED survival according to tumor stage (INT classification) was: T262.3%, T3 44.4% and T4 29.9%. The NED survival for patients who had not previously undergone treatment was: T2 71.7%, T3 58.8% and T4 42.5%. On the other hand the NED survival for the cases of recurrence was: T2 43.5%, T3 20% and T4 16.2%. These results lead to the conclusion that the surgical technique currently used is valid and that the anterior cranio-facial resection should always be performed in patients with ethmoid tumors coming into contact with, or eroding, the cribriform plate. For all staging classes, the prognosis for those patients undergoing surgery for recurrence from prior, inadequate treatment was significantly worse than that for the primary tumors.
authors.affiliation: U.O. di Chirurgia Cranio-Maxillo-Facciale Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori di Milano.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cantù
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Solero
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mattavelli
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santamaria
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barberi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riccio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011626:Pterygoid Muscles / Q000601:surgery*; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000601:surgery*