Role of surgical treatment for esthesioneuroblastomas: 31-Year experience at a single institution

Objective This study aimed to re-assess the outcomes of different surgical methods for esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) in a single institution, with emphasis on changes in surgical treatment with regard to endoscopic approaches in patients with ENB. Subjects and methods We retrospectively reviewed the data of 35 patients with ENB treated over the last 31 years. Results The 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates were 66.8% and 50.8%, respectively. Disease-free survival in the endoscopic surgery group was significantly higher compared to that of craniofacial surgery group (P = 0.035). In the endoscopic surgery group, nine of 10 patients did not exhibit local failure or regional recurrence over a mean followup period of 64.3 months, which was longer than the mean time to recurrence (22.0 months) observed in this study. Conclusion Given its significant survival outcomes and high rate of local control, endoscopic surgery could be preferred as a minimally invasive treatment with potentially low morbidity and possible oncological validity for the treatment of ENB.