title: Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma and the prognostic implications of its histologic variants: a population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Variants of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) make up 15% of all cases of SCC of the upper aerodigestive tract. There are 5 main histologic variants of SCC in the head and neck region: verrucous (VSCC), papillary (PSCC), spindle cell (sarcomatoid) (SCSC), basaloid (BSCC), and adenosquamous (ASC). Conventional sinonasal SCC has been studied extensively, but far less is known about its major variants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to extract frequency and survival data from 1973 to 2009. A total of 4382 cases of conventional sinonasal SCC and 328 cases of its major variants were found. Statistical comparisons of data for sinonasal SCC and its variants were carried out with respect to varying demographic and disease specific parameters, such as gender, race, age at diagnosis, and specific anatomic site affected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sinonasal BSCC was diagnosed at a significantly lower mean age than sinonasal SCC. Sinonasal SCSC significantly affected the maxillary sinus more commonly than SCC. In the setting of advanced stage disease, sinonasal VSCC, PSCC, and BSCC appear to be associated with a better prognosis than conventional sinonasal SCC, whereas the impact of histologic subtype on prognosis in early stage disease appears to be more limited. Survival for SCSC and ASC, both regarded as more lethal variants, was statistically similar to conventional SCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study supports the practice of distinguishing between conventional sinonasal SCC and its major histologic variants, because histologic subtype appears to carry important prognostic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: Mohemmed N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: Tapan D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Soly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baredes
authors.forename: Jean Anderson
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Eloy
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000473:pathology*; D044382:Population Groups; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: SEER; adenosquamous carcinoma; basosquamous carcinoma; papillary carcinoma; paranasal sinus neoplasm; spindle cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma variants; verrucous carcinoma