title: Nasopharyngectomy: does the approach to the nasopharynx influence survival?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the approach used to the nasopharynx to perform a salvage nasopharyngectomy for recurrent or residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma influences survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients underwent a nasopharyngectomy via a transpalatal, maxillary swing, or midfacial degloving approach. Local progression-free, locoregional progression-free, and overall survival rates were calculated for each approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the whole group (N = 80), there were no significant differences in the survival rates between the three approaches. For the subgroup of patients with recurrent T1 and T2 tumors (n = 68), the local progression-free and locoregional progression-free survival rates were significantly better when a maxillary swing approach was used than when a midfacial degloving approach was used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The maxillary swing approach is associated with significantly better survival rates than the midfacial degloving approach when used to perform a salvage nasopharyngectomy for residual or recurrent T1 and T2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China. lexvlantis@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vlantis
authors.forename: Brian K H
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Michael K M
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kam
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Phoebe S Y
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Ann D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Michael C F
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: C Andrew
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: van Hasselt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000601:surgery*; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate