Carcinom of the paranasal sinuses--a review of 158 cases.

One hundred and fifty-eight cases of paranasal sinus cancer have been reviewed retrospectively. The actuarial survival at five years for the whole group was 33%. The American Joint Committee (AJC) classification for maxillary cancer was used. T1 and T2 cases, with an actuarial survival of 44% at five years, had a significantly better prognosis than T3 cases (31%) and T4 cases (10%). Anemia of presentation and the presence of persistent disease when surgery followed pre-operative irradiation were poor prognostic indicators. The policy of combined pre-operative irradiation followed by surgery is advocated; patients with anemia should have this corrected before and during treatment.