A single centre's experience of 23 cases of total rhinectomy for the
treatment of nasal vestibule squamous cell carcinoma.
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to analyse the management outcomes of total
rhinectomy (TR) for nasal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) involving the
vestibule, and to identify prognostic factors for disease recurrence.
Design: A retrospective single centre study was conducted between
September 2003 and February 2021 including all patients who underwent a
TR for a SCC involving the nasal vestibule. Results: 23 patients were
included in the study. Tumours originated from the septum (n=12),
vestibule (n=8) or skin (n=3). Six TR (26.1%) were salvage procedures,
after primary radiotherapy or nose-preserving rhinectomy. Seven patients
had a concurrent neck dissection and 17 patients (73.9%) received
adjuvant treatment (14 patients had radiotherapy and 3 had
chemoradiotherapy). After a median follow-up of 32 months, six patients
(26.1%) presented with tumour recurrence. Three patients (13%) had
nodal-only recurrence. The estimated 5-year overall survival,
disease-free survival and disease-specific survival was 67.5%, 66.3%
and 80.7% respectively. Positive excision margins were a predictive
factor for tumour recurrence after TR (p=0.0401). Conclusions: For nasal
vestibule SCCs not amenable to limited surgical resection, TR along with
adjuvant radiotherapy provide good oncological outcomes and should be
considered the main treatment option.