Radiotherapy in late elderly (aged 75 or older) patients with paranasal sinus carcinoma: a single institution experience

The purpose of our study was to assess the feasibility of radiotherapy (RT) for locally advanced paranasal sinus carcinomas in late elderly patients (aged ≥75 years) from a single institution in Japan. From 2000 to 2015, we retrospectively analyzed 14 patients (11 maxillary and 3 ethmoid sinus carcinoma patients) who underwent RT for pathologically confirmed paranasal sinus carcinomas. RT was performed without unexpected cessations. Two patients, however, developed Grade 3 mucositis. The median follow-up duration was 13 months (range 2–54 months). The 1- and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates were 81.8 and 54.5 %, respectively. The local response rate after the initial treatment was 85.7 %. The 1- and 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 46.2 and 24.8 %, respectively. Univariate analysis of different clinicopathological parameters was conducted to identify associations with OS and PFS. We demonstrated that intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of >60 Gy with concomitant intra-arterial (cisplatin-based) infusion chemoradiotherapy led to improved OS and PFS rates, although no statistical significance was observed. Moreover, none of the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients who received 33 fractions of 66 Gy in IMRT died during the median follow-up period of 13 months (range 12–25 months). In conclusion, RT with concomitant intra-arterial (cisplatin-based) infusion chemoradiotherapy can be considered an effective, well-tolerated, and feasible treatment option for late elderly patients with paranasal sinus carcinomas. In addition, >60 Gy of RT in IMRT led to improved survival outcomes in elderly paranasal sinus carcinoma patients.