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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant tumor in China. Radiotherapy is the first-line treatment. After appropriate radiotherapy, about 5%-15% patients experience recurrence. In view of the poor efficacy and high incidence of severe late toxicities associated with re-irradiation, salvage surgery by the transnasal endoscopic approach is recommended for recurrent NPC (rNPC). Compared with re-irradiation, endoscopic surgery can better prolong survival, improve the quality of life, and reduce complications and medical expenses of patients with rNPC. However, the complexity of the nasopharyngeal skull base enhances the difficulty and risk of surgery. Expanding the boundary of surgical resection remains a clinical challenge for otolaryngologists. In this regard, to help more advanced patients with rNPC, the surgical innovative system of NPC needs to be established by multi-disciplinary cooperation, involving skull base anatomy-based investigation, appropriate administration of the internal carotid artery (ICA), repair of skull base defect, and establishment of various types of endoscopic endonasal nasopharyngectomy.

Objective: To investigate the effects of endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) on longitudinal quality of life (QoL) in patients with malignant tumors of the anterior skull base. Methods: Eligible patients prospectively completed the Anterior Skull Base Surgery Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaires in referring to 3 different periods throughout their treatment and recovery. Results: Forty patients were included. The median volume coronal maximum length of the tumor was 3.6 cm (95% CI 2.7– 4.1cm). Overall QoL significantly worsened at 1 month postoperatively but returned to baseline after 1 year. Unrelieved symptoms in specific domains prompted further evaluation of individual items. Transient worsening of taste (p=0.011) and olfaction (p=0.004) lasted for 1 month but gradually relieved within the first postoperative year, but vision consistently worsened over the course of the treatment (p=0.126). Age> 50 years (p< 0.001), comorbidities (p< 0.001), tumor necrosis (p< 0.001) and recurrence (p=0.001) were associated with worse preoperative QoL. Poor long-term QoL was noted in those undergoing adjuvant therapy (p=0.032). Overall ASBQ scores (p=0.024), subdomain scores in specific symptoms (p=0.016), and vision scores (p=0.009) were worse only in patients with the greater coronal maximum diameter at 1-month postoperatively. Greater coronal maximum diameter was related to worse preoperative subdomain scores regarding specific symptoms (p=0.030) and decreased postoperative long-term decreased vision scores (p=0.014). Conclusion: Long-term site-specific and sinonasal QoL eventually stabilized after EES. Greater coronal maximum diameter was significantly associated with worsened vision function. Temporarily worse olfactory, vision, and taste function may be tied to decreased short-term QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The choice between endoscopic surgery and re‐radiotherapy as the main treatment modality in patients with advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) remains controversial. Therefore, in this study, we compared the efficacies of endoscopic surgery and intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with rNPC. Methods: All patients with advanced rNPC (T3 and T4) who underwent salvage treatment were enrolled from January 2009 to December 2020. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using a log‐rank analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses of OS were performed using a Cox regression model. Common treatment‐related complications of endoscopic surgery were compared with those of IMRT. Results: The numbers of patients with T3 and T4 tumors were 163 (64.2%) and 91 (35.8%), respectively; 192 patients underwent endoscopic surgery, 51 received IMRT, and 11 received three‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D‐CRT). The 3‐year OS of patients treated with endoscopic surgery was 59.3%, which was significantly higher than that of patients treated with IMRT (34.7%, p < 0.001) or 3D‐CRT (43.6%, p = 0.012). Multivariate analyses showed that IMRT was an independent risk factor for OS compared with endoscopic surgery (hazard ratio, 2.068; 95% confidence interval, 1.395–3.069, p < 0.001). Complications of aural fullness (p = 0.001), nasopharyngeal necrosis (p = 0.004), nasopharyngeal hemorrhage (p = 0.004), dysphagia (p < 0.001), and cerebral infarction (p = 0.030) were significantly lower in the endoscopic surgery group than in the IMRT group. Conclusion: Endoscopic surgery may be a more promising salvage treatment than IMRT to maximize survival and minimize treatment‐related complications in advanced rNPC. These results will be significant in deciding the optimal treatment for patients with advanced rNPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) rT staging have great clinical impracticality. The aim of the present study was to establish a new rT staging to guide endoscopic surgery for the treatment of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC). Methods: This surgical rT staging (named Fudan rT staging) was constructed using two significant risk factors: the distance from the tumor margin to the internal carotid artery, and dural invasion. Log‐rank and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate its effectiveness. Results: Fudan rT staging can effectively separate the overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) of patients with rNPC according to the different rT stages (p < 0.05). In addition, ROC analysis showed that the Fudan rT staging exhibited enhanced prognostic value for OS and PFS compared with the AJCC/UICC rT staging. Conclusions: The innovative Fudan rT staging has a better predictive value for the survival of patients with rNPC than AJCC/UICC rT staging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacy and safety of internal carotid artery (ICA) embolization as a treatment strategy in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) patients with tumors invading the ICA remain unclear. Methods: We enrolled all rNPC patients with tumors invading the ICA, who underwent salvage endoscopic surgery. Using propensity scores to adjust for specific potential prognostic factors, a well‐balanced cohort of 42 patients with limited rNPC was formed by matching each patient who underwent ICA embolization (study group) with one who did not (control group). The survival rates and common treatment‐related complications were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The cohort included patients with the following tumor stages: rT2 (n = 3), rT3 (n = 24), and rT4 (n = 15). During a median follow‐up of 15 (range, 2‐63) months, the 2‐year overall survival and progression‐free survival rates were significantly higher in the ICA embolization group than in the ICA nonembolization group (90.5% vs 53.3% and 71.3% vs 33.0%, respectively; and p = 0.022 and p = 0.006, respectively). In addition, the incidence of treatment‐related complications, such as nasal obstruction, nasopharyngeal hemorrhage, and nasopharyngeal necrosis, was significantly lower in the ICA embolization group than in the nonembolization group (p = 0.001, p = 0.014, and p = 0.038, respectively). Conclusion: The innovative application of ICA embolization in endoscopic surgery in patients with rNPC invading the ICA significantly improved patient survival and reduced the risk of treatment‐related complications. Therefore, this may be a safe and effective method with the potential to improve outcomes in rNPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salvage endoscopic nasopharyngectomy has better survival prognosis and fewer complications in the management of early stage rNPC, compared to re-irradiation. However, the treatment modality of advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) remains controversial. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the demographics, clinical outcomes, and prognostic factors associated with salvage endoscopic nasopharyngectomy in advanced rNPC. Methods: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of advanced rNPC patients who underwent salvage surgery betweenm January 2014 and December 2019. The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable analyses of OS and PFS were performed using the Cox regression model. The predicted values of the parameters were determined by means of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Among the 120 patients included, there were 75 patients with rT3 stage and 45 patients with rT4 stage. With the median follow-up time of 18 months,the 3 -year OS and PFS were 55.2% and 29.4%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that the rNPC patients with older age, low BMI (Body Mass Index), rT4 stage, tumor necrosis, and tumor invasion into the ICA was predictive of worse OS, whereas low BMI and rT4 stage were associated with worse PFS. In addition, the rT stage was identified as a better predictor of OS (area under the ROC curve: 0.669; P =0.003) than the other clinical features. Conclusions: Salvage treatment using endoscopic nasopharyngectomy appears to be an effective treatment in the management of patients with advanced rNPC. In addition, case matching studies and prospective studies with larger clinical samples are required to further evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic surgery compared with re-irradiation in advanced rNPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma (LGNPPA) is a rare nasopharyngeal tumor. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and histopathological features of the disease, and to share our experience of its treatment. Patients and Methods: We collected demographic data, clinical symptoms, tumor location, pathological features, immunohistochemical results, treatments, and outcomes of 28 patients with pathologically confirmed LGNPPA between 2009 and 2019. Results: The median age of the 28 patients was 41.5 years, with a female: male ratio of 1.5:1 (17 females, 11 males). The most common symptom was blood-stained rhinorrhea. The neoplasms were located on the roof of the nasopharynx (RON) in 13 patients, the posterior margin of the nasal septum (PMONP) in 12 patients, the lateral wall of the nasopharynx in one case, and both the RON and PMONP in two patients. Fourteen patients were diagnosed with thyroid-like LGNPPA. Immunohistochemically, the tumors were uniformly positive for cytokeratin 7, cytokeratin 8, vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, and pan-cytokeratin, and negative for thyroglobulin. Twenty-three patients underwent pure endoscopic surgery, three patients underwent preoperative radiotherapy, and two patients underwent radiotherapy postoperatively. All patients were alive without evidence of lymphatic or distant metastases in the follow-up period (range: 7 to 121 months). Two patients (7%, 2/28) experienced disease recurrence. Conclusion: LGNPPA is an indolent tumor with an excellent prognosis. Endonasal endoscopic excision was an effective treatment. It is important to distinguish thyroid-like LGNPPA from metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma because these diseases have similar microscopic features but different prognoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tension pneumocephalus (TP) caused by endoscopic endonasal surgery is a serious complication. We report four cases of TP caused by endoscopic surgery and review other cases in the literature, with special attention devoted to symptoms, imaging features, and therapeutic approaches.Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients who experienced TP caused by endoscopic surgery in our institution between 2015 and 2018 was performed. Additionally, the MEDLINE database was searched for all case series or reports of TP caused by endoscopic surgery.Results: Eighteen articles were identified for review, including four cases from the authors' institution; ultimately, 26 cases were included in the present study. The main symptoms of TP were headache and a change in mental status. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage was reported in 21 of the 26 patients (80.8%). Eight of the 26 patients (30.8%) presented with the "Mount Fuji sign" imaging feature. Twenty-four patients were treated with surgical intervention for TP (endoscopic multilayer closure of skull base defect, cranial burr hole, or bifrontal craniotomy). In addition, the present study is the first to report two patients with TP who were successfully treated conservatively.Conclusion: The therapeutic method for treating TP should depend on the degree of the mass effect and clinical symptoms. When patients with TP present with obvious symptoms of CSF leakage and intracranial hypertension, urgent surgical multilayer repair of the skull base defects and/or release of the intracranial pressure are keys to treating these patients. However, conservative treatment under close observation is also feasible when the related symptoms are not overtly obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to assess the effect of endoscopic nasopharyngectomy in patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) on site-specific and sinonasal-related quality of life (QoL) before and after surgery using validated instruments. Methods: Consecutive adult patients with recurrent NPC, who were treated via salvage endoscopic nasopharyngectomy, were prospectively enrolled at a single institution from January 2018 to December 2019. Each patient completed the Anterior Skull Base Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the 22-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) preoperatively, and then at regular intervals after surgery to assess their perceived QoL. Results: Forty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up was 12 months (range, 2–24 months). Overall scores on the ASBQ and SNOT-22 at 3 or 12 weeks after surgery decreased significantly compared with before surgery (p < 0.05). At 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, there was no significant difference from the preoperative score. Subtotal resection was associated with worse overall ASBQ scores at 6 months and 1 year after endoscopic nasopharyngectomy (p < 0.05). Worse QoL was also associated with advanced T stage (rT3 and rT4) and pathological World Health Organization type III. Sex, age (<50 years), tumor necrosis, lymph node metastasis, and use of a nasoseptal flap approach did not impact postoperative QoL. Conclusions: Site-specific and sinonasal-related QoL, measured using validated tools, demonstrated an overall maintenance of postoperative compared with preoperative QoL. Endoscopic endonasal resection is a valuable management choice in patients with recurrent NPC. In addition, subtotal resection was an important factor that negatively influenced postoperative QoL; as such, gross-total resection should be attempted in all patients to optimize QoL after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we innovatively applied the coil embolization technique to rNPC invading the internal carotid artery and achieved good survival rates and less treatment-related complications, which provided the opportunity of surgical treatment for these advanced patients. Authors' reply We thank Mathew Geltzeiler and Kyaw Zin Thein for their comments on our recent Article in The International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology.1 We are glad that Geltzeiler and Thein recognize our team's experience in the surgical treatment of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC). In this way, we can further identify the treatment mode of rNPC invading the internal carotid artery, which may provide the most appropriate treatment options for these patients. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To develop and validate a nomogram to predict survival in patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after salvage endoscopic surgery.Materials and Methods: A total of 229 eligible patients with recurrent NPC were divided into training (n = 115) and validation (n = 114) cohorts. A multivariate Cox proportional risk regression model was used to identify significant prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in the training cohort. A nomogram was then developed based on the regression model. The performance of the nomogram was assessed with regard to discrimination and calibration. Patients were divided into low-risk or high-risk groups based on the risk scores derived from the nomogram. Furthermore, decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the clinical utility of the nomogram.Results: Six significant predictors were identified: diabetes mellitus, body mass index (BMI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), T stage, lymph node metastasis, and tumor necrosis. The nomogram incorporating these six predictors demonstrated favorable discrimination and calibration in the training cohort, with a C-index of 0.746 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.656-0.836), which was subsequently confirmed in the validation cohort (C-index 0.768 [95% CI 0.675-0.861]). Furthermore, the nomogram successfully distinguished patients into low- and high-risk groups. DCA indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful.Conclusions: The novel nomogram demonstrated its potential as an individual tool to predict survival in patients with recurrent NPC after salvage endoscopic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]