Utility of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients receiving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for primary treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma

Background Past research established that surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy (S + AR) improves overall survival (OS) in esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB). However, it is unknown if the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) further improves survival. The primary objective of this study was to compare survival among patients treated with S + AR alone to patients who underwent S + AR + AC. Methods Retrospective review of patient records. Results Thirty-eight patients met inclusion criteria for either S + AR or S + AR + AC treatment groups. The S + AR + AC group contained more patients with Kadish stage D disease, dural invasion, and positive histologic margins postsurgery. All S + AR + AC patients received platinum-based regimens, combined with etoposide in 67%. OS and recurrence-free survival did not differ between the two groups, even when restricting the analysis to patients with Kadish stages B and C disease. Conclusion Patients who received platinum-based AC did not exhibit improved survival compared to S + AR alone. Further investigation, preferably prospective, into the optimal use of systemic therapy in ENB is warranted.