Comorbidity, complications, and survival of sinonasal malignancies in young and elderly treated by surgery.

Objective: Sinonasal malignancies are uncommon neoplasms with several histological subtypes, most commonly treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate complications and survival, focusing on differences between elderly and younger patients undergoing surgery.
Study Design: Historical cohort based on medical records.
Setting: Tertial referral center.
Subjects and Methods: Medical charts of 103 surgically treated patients (71 patients younger than 70 years and 32 patients aged 70 years and older) in a tertiary referral center with sinonasal malignancy were retrospectively analyzed. Comorbidity was scored according to the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 system. Treatment outcomes were analyzed by collecting treatment-related complications scores and survival data.
Results: Although comorbidity was more common in elderly patients, no significant differences were recorded in complications. In multivariate analysis, length of surgery was the only predictor for complication. Furthermore, no significant differences were seen in disease-specific survival and recurrence in young and elderly patients. Young patients with malignant epithelial tumors and melanoma had worse overall survival than patients with other histological subtypes. However, in elderly patients, no significant differences were seen in survival between histological subtypes.
Conclusion: For complications, survival, and recurrence, no differences were seen between young and elderly patients. Based on this study, surgery can also be safely performed in elderly sinonasal cancer patients after careful preoperative evaluation and patient selection.