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Objective  Radiation therapy represents an uncommon but important component of treatment plans for some pituitary adenomas (PAs). Although radiation therapy has been used to treat pituitary adenomas for over a century, general trends in the usage of radiation therapy for this purpose have not been reviewed. Additionally, there are few large studies evaluating how radiation therapy is used for the treatment of these benign tumors. Investigating these trends and identifying any variations in radiation therapy utilization would help to better inform treatment decisions and improve patient outcomes. Design  Present study is a retrospective analysis of cases using the National Cancer Database. Setting  The research was organized at a tertiary academic medical center. Participants  Patients were diagnosed with pituitary adenoma between 2004 and 2014 within the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods  Temporal trends in the usage of radiation therapy to treat pituitary adenoma were analyzed through a retrospective analysis of 77,142 pituitary adenoma cases from the NCDB between 2004 and 2014. Univariate and multivariate analyses were to examine the relationship between patient, tumor, and treatment factors, and the incorporation of radiation therapy into the treatment of pituitary adenomas. We adjusted for potential confounders such as age, sex, race, comorbidity score, facility type, and year of diagnosis. Results  A total of 77,142 patients met inclusion criteria. Inclusion of radiation therapy in pituitary adenoma treatment was 8.0% in 2004 and steadily declined to a low of 3.1% in 2014. Overall, patients were less likely to receive radiation for their pituitary adenoma over time (p  < 0.001). Similarly, patients were found to be less likely to receive any type of treatment for PA over time (p  < 0.001). Multivariable evaluation found patients who were female, between 54 and 64 years of age, or treated at either a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program or an Integrated Network Cancer Program were more likely to receive radiation as part of their pituitary adenoma treatment (p  < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 2.01, confidence interval [CI]: 1.54–2.63; p  < 0.001, OR = 1.84, CI: 1.38–2.44, respectively). Patients were less likely to receive radiation for their PA if they were African American (p  < 0.001, OR = 0.81, CI: 0.72–0.91). Logistic regression also identified a progressive increase in the likelihood of receiving radiation after a PA diagnosis with increasing tumor size starting with microscopic tumors, peaking at 4 to 5 cm (p  < 0.001; OR = 15.57; CI: 12.20–19.87). Conclusion  In this sample of pituitary adenoma patients treated at NCDB institutions between 2004 and 2014, we found a steady decline in the incorporation of radiation therapy in treatment, as well as in the use of any type of intervention for PA treatment, suggesting a rise in noninterventional observation of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background  Sinonasal adenocarcinoma (SNAC) is a rare malignancy arising from mucus-secreting glandular tissue. Limited large-scale studies are available due to its rarity. We evaluated SNAC in the National Cancer Database (NCDB), a source that affords multi-institutional, population studies of rare cancers and their outcomes. Methods  The NCDB was queried for adenocarcinoma in the sinonasal tract. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate for factors contributing to overall survival (OS). Results  A total of 553 patients were identified. The cohort was composed of 59.3% males. The nasal cavity was the most common primary site, representing 44.1% of cases. About 5.7% of patients presented with nodal disease, while 3.3% had distant metastases. About 40.6% of cases presented with stage IV disease. About 73.5% of patients underwent surgery, 54.2% received radiation therapy, and 27.7% had chemotherapy. Median OS was 71.7 months, while OS at 1, 2, and 5 years was 82, 73.0, and 52%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, advanced age (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.05), Charlson–Deyo score of 1 (HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.20–3.30), advanced tumor grade (HR: 2.73; 95% CI: 1.39–5.34), and advanced tumor stage (HR: 2.71; 95% CI: 1.33–5.50) were associated with worse OS, whereas surgery (HR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.20–0.60) and radiation therapy (HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33–0.91), but not chemotherapy (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.66–2.05), predicted improved OS. Conclusions  SNAC is a rare malignancy with 5-year survival approximating 50%. Surgery and radiation therapy, but not chemotherapy, are associated with improved survival, and likely play a critical role in the interdisciplinary management of SNAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives  Pituitary carcinoma is a rare entity with fewer than 200 total cases reported in the English literature. Analysis of the population-level data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) affords the opportunity to study this poorly understood tumor type. Methods  The NCDB was queried for site, histology, and metastasis codes corresponding to pituitary carcinoma. Statistical analyses were performed to determine factors associated with overall survival (OS). Results  A total of 92 patients with pituitary carcinoma met inclusion criteria. The 1 and 5 years of OS for all patients was 93.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.2–98.6%) and 80.0% (95% CI: 71.6–89.4%), respectively. Patients with invasive primary tumor behavior had 1 and 5 years of OS of 69.2% (95% CI: 48.2–99.5%) and 52.7% (95% CI: 31.2–89.2%), respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that compared with benign primary behavior, invasive behavior had increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1,296, 95% CI: 15.1– > 2,000). Surgery without adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy was the most common therapy (48.9%), followed by no treatment (40.2%). Compared with surgery alone, no treatment had worse OS (HR, 11.83, 95% CI: 1.41–99.56). Increasing age and female sex were both associated with increased mortality. Conclusions  The most common treatment for pituitary carcinoma is surgery alone followed by no surgery. Surgery alone has significantly better OS compared with no treatment. The efficacy of radiation, chemotherapy, and neurohormonal treatments needs to be examined with prospective studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]