Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma Invading the Orbit

Orbital Involvement by Biphenotypic Sinonasal Sarcoma With a Literature Review

PURPOSE

To document a case of a biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma that impinged on the orbit via a tumor-induced mucocele and review the previous literature devoted to this condition.

METHODS

A clinicopathologic case report with detailed histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and radiological studies with tabulations of previously reported cases and immunohistochemical stains for ruling out mimicking lesions.

RESULTS

A biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma arose from the ethmoid sinus in a middle-aged man. The tumor induced a mucocele that bowed the medial orbital lamina papyracea into the orbit and caused diplopia and mild proptosis. The biopsy's dual positivity for S100 and smooth muscle actin together with positive paired box 3 immunohistochemical staining established the diagnosis of biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma.

CONCLUSION

Biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma, which can involve the orbit in 25% of cases, is a rare head and neck malignancy that has only recently been described. Biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma is a low-grade, locally aggressive, nonmetastasizing sarcoma displaying both neural and muscle differentiation. It is further characterized by rearrangements of the PAX3 gene with multiple fusion partners, most commonly MAML3 (Mastermind like transcriptional coactivator 3). It occurs predominantly in middle-aged women and exclusively in the sinonasal tract. However, it can spread throughout the central facial structures to invade the brain if not detected early. Ophthalmologists should be aware of this new entity to avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment. The previous literature devoted to this condition was reviewed and analyzed for clinical, radiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features. In circumstances where molecular testing is not available, paired box 3 immunohistochemical staining can be used as an alternative diagnostic marker. The current case is most unusual because the orbital findings were induced by a mucocele caused by the tumor that obstructed the sinus ostium. This produced diplopia without direct tumor invasion into the orbital fat.

A review of nasal, paranasal, and skull base tumors invading the orbit

Tumors that invade the orbit are uncommon. The majority are meningiomas arising from the sphenoid ridge (66%). Others are bone and cartilage tumors arising from the surrounding bones of the orbit, pituitary adenomas, and epithelial tumors arising from the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. Meningiomas occur more often in women, whereas epithelial tumors have a predilection for men. Meningiomas and epithelial tumors typically present in the sixth decade of life, whereas bone tumors tend to affect individuals in their third decade of life. Patients often present with a combination of ophthalmological and otorhinolaryngological symptoms, including proptosis, pain, decreased visual acuity, restrictions in motility of the eye, epistaxis, and nasal obstruction. Sarcomas and benign bone and cartilage tumors arise from surrounding structures, whereas carcinomas usually arise from the paranasal sinuses. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Depending on the aggressiveness and histology of the tumor, surgery may be combined with radiation and chemotherapy. The prognosis is generally poor, but varies depending on histology and cell origin, size of the tumor, and degree of invasion. Meningiomas and benign bone tumors have the best prognoses. Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinomas, small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas, osteosarcomas, and rhabdomyosarcomas have poorer prognoses.

Meta-analysis of 701 published cases of sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma: The importance of differentiation grade in determining treatment strategy

The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide treatment guidelines for sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNC) by combining all available data in the literature. A literature search for all studies concerning SNC was performed against the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. Available clinical data was normalized, pooled, and statistically analyzed. A total of 701 cases of SNC were available for analysis, comprising 127 well or moderately differentiated sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinomas (SNEC), 459 sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) and 115 sinonasal small cell carcinoma (SmCC). Tumor type was the most important predictor of survival, with a 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) of 70.2% for SNEC, 35.9% for SNUC and 46.1% for SmCC. Tumor stage on presentation was of limited value in predicting survival or response to treatment. Overall, the application of surgery yielded significantly better results (5-year DSS 52.2% versus 30.1%, p<0.001). In SNUC, radiotherapy was a beneficial supplement to surgery (5-year DSS 54.7% versus 15.7%, p=0.027), while radiotherapy as monotherapy performed poorly (5-year DSS 17.9%). Chemotherapy did not appear to contribute to survival. Based on these findings, we can conclude that the most important predictors of survival in SNC are differentiation grade and the associated choice of treatment modality. In contrast to other head and neck cancers, tumor staging appears of limited value in predicting survival or deciding on a treatment strategy. Surgery should be the cornerstone of treatment, supplemented by radiotherapy in poorly differentiated subtypes (SNUC, SmCC). Chemotherapy does not appear to contribute to survival.

Meta-analysis of treatment outcomes for sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

This study reviews the published outcomes regarding sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) since the initial description in 1986. This article attempts to (1) understand and better describe the benefit and survival advantages associated with using radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical treatment and (2) support the recommendations of a treatment regimen with current available data in the literature.

DATA SOURCES

Published English-language literature.

REVIEW METHODS

A PubMed search for articles related to SNUC, along with the bibliographies of those articles to avoid missing articles. All articles were examined for an independent patient data meta-analysis. Thirty studies with 167 cases from 1986 to October 2009 were identified. Demographics, disease extent, treatment, follow-up, and survival were analyzed. Patient cohorts mirroring Kadish staging were created. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed.

RESULTS

Follow-up range was 1 to 195 months (mean 23.4 months, median 15 months). At last follow-up, 26.3% of patients were alive with no evidence of disease, 21.0% were alive with disease, and 52.7% were dead of disease. The use of surgery was found to be the best single modality, but chemotherapy and radiation were important as adjuncts in extensive and aggressive disease. The presence of neck metastases was a poor prognostic sign.

CONCLUSION

This study, containing the largest pool of SNUC patients, confirms a poor overall prognosis. The data suggest that the optimal treatment should include surgery, with radiation and/or chemotherapy as adjunct treatments. Neck disease in advanced local disease is a poor prognostic sign and merits aggressive treatment with multimodality therapy.

[Orbital tumors arising from paranasal sinuses]

Orbital tumors arising from paranasal sinuses comprise mucoceles and malignant ethmoidal tumors. Most often, anamnestic, clinical, and radiological data as well as endoscopic biopsy performed by an ENT surgeon provide the preoperative diagnosis. If the tumor is benign, surgery can cure the patient. It is associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy if the tumor is malignant.

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: case series and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

We report on four cases of sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC), a relatively newly described clinicopathological entity of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. SNUC tends to present with advanced-stage disease, often with intracranial invasion, and requires an aggressive treatment approach that includes surgical resection. A review of the literature identified several reports of SNUC in pathology and otolaryngology journals since its initial description in 1986, but no report has yet appeared in the neurosurgery literature.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

Four patients presented with various symptoms related to the nose and/or orbit, including one or more of the following: obstruction, epistaxis, decreased visual acuity, diplopia, and pain. All patients were noted to have masses in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses, with or without intracranial extension.

INTERVENTION

All four patients underwent multimodal treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy (60-65 Gy), and aggressive surgical resection via a combined bifrontal craniotomy and a subcranial approach to the anterior cranial fossa. Three of four patients died as a result of their disease, an average of 15 months after diagnosis. Only one patient remains alive, although with metastatic intracranial disease, at 24 months after diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

SNUC is a rare neoplasm with a poor prognosis despite an aggressive multimodal approach to treatment. On the basis of our experience, we advocate radical resection as part of the initial combined therapy for patients who present with locally advanced, nonmetastatic disease but we suggest reserving surgery for patients with early brain invasion until there has been a radiographically proven central nervous system response to adjuvant therapy.