OBJECTIVETo study the multidisciplinary cooperation in surgical treatment of complex head and neck tumors.

METHODSThe data from 22 patients with head and neck tumors who had been given neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, plastic and otological surgery were reviewed from April 1995 to June 2000.

RESULTSEight of 14 cases of benign tumors had been resected radical; 5 of 8 malignant cases had been moval of macroscopic tumor and 3 received operation for symptom improvement. No surgical death and serious complications were observed. The recurrence rate benign tumors was 21.4% (3/14), all of which were operated on at other hospitals. Follow-up for a year showed that in 8 cases of malignant tumors, 3 were tumor free, 2 survived with tumor, and 3 died.

CONCLUSIONSTo obtain good outcome in treatment for patients with complex tumors of head and neck, cooperative efforts between multidisciplinary surgery are necessary.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the capable use of transmaxillary approach for surgical removal of invasive skull base tumors, the indications and the key points of this approach.

METHODSFrom November 1998 to July 2001, 27 consecutive patients with skull base tumor were operated through transmaxillary approach, including 6 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 5 with nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, 5 with nasopharyngeal cystadenocarcinoma, 2 with olfactory neuroblastoma, 2 with poorly differentiated carcinoma, 2 with sarcoma, 1 with maxillary carcinoma, 2 with schwannoma, and 2 with chordoma. Most of them (18/27) were recurrent tumor and 17/27 tumors involved important intracranial structures. All patients were followed up 2 - 33 months (average 16 months) and the clinical data was reviewed.

RESULTSThe tumors could be totally removed in all patients. There were no operative mortality and morbidity. After operation, 2 patients died of cancer recurrence in 5 and 8 months separately. One patient had metastasis to the lungs 11 months after operation. Two patients had local recurrence in 7 and 12 months postoperation seperately and live with the tumor now. The rest patients are back to their routine life.

CONCLUSIONSTransmaxillary approach facilitates the surgical removal of invasive skull base tumors. The exposure is wide. The lesion as well as the important anatomy structures can be viewed directly and clearly. The tumor removal could be done more thoroughly and safely. This approach is suitable for the patients in whom tumor involves the skull base extensively and may be difficult to deal with by other approaches.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; Skull Base Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery