Postoperative radiotherapy in the management of cancer of the maxillary sinus.

This report comprises 149 patients with carcinoma of the maxillary sinus treated with radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (5500 to 6000 cGy in 6 weeks) between 1963 and 1980 at the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas of Lima. Permanent local control was observed in 67.1% of the cases with a 5-year actuarial survival of 36.2% and a corrected survival for death not due to cancer of 42.3%. The ultimate local and distant failures were 61%. Data were analyzed regarding stage of the disease, radiotherapeutic technique and its influence on local control, complications, and patterns of relapse. The data indicate that the stage of the tumor influences survival. Because of the natural history of this disease, local control is paramount.