Diagnosis and treatment of malignant sinonasal tumors

The treatment of sinonasal carcinomas is complex due to their heterogeneity and the anatomical conditions. There are only few studies comparing therapies. The gold standard is complete resection of the tumour, but this is often difficult to control. Increasingly, radical open surgical methods are being replaced by minimally invasive endoscopic techniques while maintaining oncological control. Treatment of the lymph nodes in case of an inconspicuous neck status is the subject of debate and recommendations range from watchful waiting to elective neck dissection. Currently, the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy is under investigation. Radiotherapy is mainly part of the adjuvant treatment concept. As a primary option, it is used rather cautiously and reserved for inoperable findings. The choice of the appropriate chemotherapy regimen is mainly dependent on the particular tumour entity. However, due to a lack of studies, a regimen similar to that used for head and neck carcinomas of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx is usually chosen. The role of immune checkpoint inhibitors is still unclear, but initial data are similarly promising as for other head and neck carcinomas. © 2021, Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.