Oncological results of surgical treatment of malignant tumors of the nasal vestibule.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated functional results of surgical treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of 2,763 patients treated for head and neck cancers between 1991 and 2000 revealed 10 cases of nasal vestibule tumors, with an incidence of 0.36%. All the patients were males with a mean age of 64.8 years (range 58 to 72 years). Based on the classification system of the AJCC 1992 for skin cancers, and the UICC classification for neck metastasis, three patients had T2, three patients had T3, and four patients had T4 tumors. Lymph node metastasis was present in three patients. Nine patients were treated with surgery as the primary treatment. One patient underwent surgical salvage following radiotherapy failure. The mean follow-up period was 3.65 years (range 6 months to 12 years).

RESULTS

Three patients with metastatic neck disease and four patients with advanced tumors underwent radical neck dissection and selective supraomohyoid neck dissection, respectively. Seven patients underwent reconstruction with paramedian forehead flap (n=3), nasolabial flap (n=2), aural composite graft, or split thickness flap. Including the one with radiotherapy failure, two patients died within the first postoperative year due to local and neck recurrences. Another patient died in the postoperative third year due to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. No cosmetic or functional complaints were observed in patients with early stage lesions. Two patients with advanced tumors had nasal ventilation problems and a secondary revision procedure was required in one.

CONCLUSION

Surgery is a successful therapeutic modality for carcinoma of the nasal vestibule, especially when applied in conjunction with proper reconstruction techniques and, when necessary, neck dissection procedures.