title: Results of anterior skull base surgery in pediatric and young adult patients.
abstract: We sought to better define the results of anterior skull base surgery in pediatric and young adult patients. We performed a single-institution, retrospective cohort study in a tertiary-care academic cancer center. Between 1973 and 2005, 234 patients underwent anterior skull base surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Of these, 19 patients were <21 years of age. Surgical indications, findings, and complications were reviewed. Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with patients >/=21 years old. Nineteen patients <21 years old underwent a total of 20 procedures for lesions of the anterior skull base. Sarcoma was the most common indication for surgery including 6 (32%) patients treated for radiation-induced malignancies. Minor complications were noted with 6 (30%) procedures. There were no major complications and no perioperative deaths. The difference in 3-year recurrence-free (68% versus 59%; p = 0.623) and overall survival (83% versus 66%; p = 0.309) compared with patients >/=21 years old did not reach statistical significance. Anterior skull base surgery is well tolerated in pediatric and young adult patients <21 years of age. Survival is comparable to older patients treated similarly and appears strongly influenced by histology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ganly
authors.forename: Snehal G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bilsky
authors.forename: Jatin P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kraus
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