Affiliation:
1. Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Beijing China
2. Department of Head and Neck Radiotherapy Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital Harbin China
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundIdentifying the lymph node target volume in patients with node‐negative sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) crossing the midline poses a challenge. This study aims to address this.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed clinically N0 patients with tumors crossing the midline who received elective neck irradiation (ENI) from two centers between 1999 and 2019. The main endpoint was regional relapse‐free survival (RRFS).ResultsWe included 104 patients: 64 received bilateral ENI, and 40 received ipsilateral‐only ENI (median follow‐up time was 89.99 and 95.01 months, respectively). At 5 years, the RRFS rates were comparable (57.68% vs. 55.83%, p = 0.372), as were the contralateral RRFS (57.68% vs. 61.62%, p = 0.541). Five‐year OS, LRFS, and DMFS showed no significant difference between two groups.ConclusionsOur findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting the potential for avoiding contralateral ENI in SNSCC patients with midline crossing tumors who undergo ipsilateral ENI, covering at least level II. Validation through future prospective studies is necessary.