J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2023; 84(04): 307-319
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750178
Original Article

International Multicenter Study of Clinical Outcomes of Sinonasal Melanoma Shows Survival Benefit for Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Potential Improvements to the Current TNM Staging System

Matt Lechner*
1   UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
2   UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
3   Department of ENT, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Yoko Takahashi*
4   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
,
Mario Turri-Zanoni*
5   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
,
Marco Ferrari
6   Section of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Jacklyn Liu
1   UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
,
Nicholas Counsell
7   Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
,
Davide Mattavelli
8   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
,
Vittorio Rampinelli
8   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
,
William Vermi
8   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
,
Davide Lombardi
8   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
,
Rami Saade
4   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
9   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
,
Ki Wan Park
10   Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
Volker H. Schartinger
11   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
,
Alessandro Franchi
12   Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
,
Carla Facco
13   Unit of Pathology, ASST Sette Laghi, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
,
Fausto Sessa
13   Unit of Pathology, ASST Sette Laghi, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
,
Simonetta Battocchio
14   Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
,
Tim R. Fenton
15   Cancer Sciences Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
,
Francis M. Vaz
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Paul O'Flynn
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
David Howard
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Paul Stimpson
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Simon Wang
17   Department of Oncology, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Section Pneumology, Hubertus Wald Tumorzentrum, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
,
S. Alam Hannan
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Samit Unadkat
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Jonathan Hughes
18   Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Raghav Dwivedi
18   Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Cillian T. Forde
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Premjit Randhawa
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Simon Gane
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Jonathan Joseph
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Peter J. Andrews
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Manas Dave
19   Division of Dentistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
,
Jason C. Fleming
21   Liverpool Head & Neck Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
,
David Thomson
20   Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
21   Liverpool Head & Neck Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
,
Tianyu Zhu
22   CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
,
Andrew Teschendorff
22   CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
,
Gary Royle
1   UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
,
Christopher Steele
1   UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
,
Joaquin E. Jimenez
23   Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, United States
,
Jan Laco
24   The Fingerland Department of Pathology, Charles University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
,
Eric W. Wang
23   Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, United States
25   Center for Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
,
Carl Snyderman
23   Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, United States
25   Center for Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
,
Peter D. Lacy
26   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
,
Robbie Woods
26   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
,
James P. O'Neill
26   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
27   The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
,
Anirudh Saraswathula
28   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
,
Raman Preet Kaur
28   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
,
Tianna Zhao
29   Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
Murugappan Ramanathan Jr.
28   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
29   Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
Gary L. Gallia
28   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
29   Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
30   Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
Nyall R. London Jr.
28   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
29   Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
31   Sinonasal and Skull Base Tumor Program—Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
,
Quynh-Thu Le
32   Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
Robert B. West
32   Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
10   Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
Jayakar V. Nayak
10   Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
Peter H. Hwang
10   Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
,
Mario Hermsen
33   Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
,
Jose Llorente
33   Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
,
Fabio Facchetti
14   Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
,
Piero Nicolai
6   Section of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Paolo Bossi
34   Medical Oncology, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialities, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
,
Paolo Castelnuovo
5   Unit of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
,
Amrita Jay
35   Department of Histopathology, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Dawn Carnell
18   Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Martin D. Forster
1   UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
,
Diana M. Bell
36   Disease Team Alignment: Head and Neck, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, California, United States
,
Valerie J. Lund
16   Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
,
Ehab Y. Hanna
4   Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
› Author Affiliations
Funding This work was supported by the Rhinology and Laryngology Research Fund, Royal College of Surgeons and the UCL/UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Additional support was provided by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
 

Abstract

Objectives Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is an extremely rare and challenging sinonasal malignancy with a poor prognosis. Standard treatment involves complete surgical resection, but the role of adjuvant therapy remains unclear. Crucially, our understanding of its clinical presentation, course, and optimal treatment remains limited, and few advancements in improving its management have been made in the recent past.

Methods We conducted an international multicenter retrospective analysis of 505 SNMM cases from 11 institutions across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe. Data on clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical outcomes were assessed.

Results One-, three-, and five-year recurrence-free and overall survival were 61.4, 30.6, and 22.0%, and 77.6, 49.2, and 38.3%, respectively. Compared with disease confined to the nasal cavity, sinus involvement confers significantly worse survival; based on this, further stratifying the T3 stage was highly prognostic (p < 0.001) with implications for a potential modification to the current TNM staging system. There was a statistically significant survival benefit for patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy, compared with those who underwent surgery alone (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57–0.96, p = 0.021). Immune checkpoint blockade for the management of recurrent or persistent disease, with or without distant metastasis, conferred longer survival (HR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.25–1.00, p = 0.036).

Conclusions We present findings from the largest cohort of SNMM reported to date. We demonstrate the potential utility of further stratifying the T3 stage by sinus involvement and present promising data on the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent, persistent, or metastatic disease with implications for future clinical trials in this field.


#

Introduction

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare, aggressive, and challenging malignancy comprising 4% of all sinonasal malignancies. Tumors are often detected at a late stage resulting in poor patient prognosis, with 5-year overall survival (OS) below 25%.[1] [2] [3] The standard of care comprises surgical resection, with comparable outcomes between open and endoscopic approaches in well-selected patients.[4] [5] The efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy and the use of systemic therapy are controversial.[6] [7] [8] Most patients will experience persistent disease or recurrence, for which treatment options are limited. Distant metastasis is the most common cause of treatment failure, having been reported in 35% of patients.[2]

To improve SNMM patient survival outcomes, the use of biochemotherapy and immunotherapy has been the subject of research for the past two decades. Based on the efficacy of biochemotherapy along with interferons and/or interleukins in cutaneous melanoma, it has been widely used as part of adjuvant therapy for the management of SNMM. However, its safety and efficacy are unclear and remain to be elucidated in this disease type. Importantly, due to a lack of large-scale studies, the use of biochemotherapy for SNMM has significantly decreased in recent years. FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, and nivolumab, have been used for the treatment of SNMM, particularly in the metastatic setting, but no formal trials have been completed to date. Preliminary evidence from a small case study of SNMM has demonstrated the potential efficacy of these drugs, with durable response and acceptable toxicities in two distant metastatic cases.[9] In their analysis of the National Cancer Database, Ganti et al suggested improved survival in patients exhibiting metastatic disease when treated with immunotherapy.[10]

Due to the rarity of this malignancy, evidence has been limited to small cohort studies or case series and analyses of existing databases. Here, we present the largest cohort of SNMM reported to date, consisting of data from 11 centers across the United States, continental Europe, United Kingdom, and Ireland. We investigated potential prognostic factors, compared treatment approaches, and provided an up-to-date evaluation of immunotherapy for the management of the recurrent or persistent disease.


#

Materials and Methods

Patients

Deidentified data on 505 SNMM patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2021 were obtained from four institutions in the United States (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine), four institutions in continental Europe (University of Insubria, Italy; ASST Spedali Civili-Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy; Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Spain, and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic), two institutions in the United Kingdom (University College London/University College London Hospitals and University of Manchester), and one in Ireland (Beaumont Hospital). Inclusion criteria required confirmed histopathological diagnosis of SNMM with histological characterization confirmed by head and neck pathologists experienced in the evaluation of SNMM. Data collected included patient demographics, disease status at presentation, treatment details, and patient outcomes. Institutional review board (IRB) approval was obtained from all institutions with further approval for multicenter data analysis from University College London IRB/Research Ethics Committee (UCL REC no. 9609/002; ML/VJL).


#

Diagnosis and Treatment of Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma

The date of diagnosis was defined as the date of tissue extraction for histological determination of the diagnosis. Patients were treated as per their respective institution's standard of care, and all institutions involved are tertiary level centers with longstanding experience in the diagnosis and management of this disease.


#

Statistical Analysis of Clinical Data

The primary aim of this study was to investigate prognostic factors of SNMM patients in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) and OS, calculated from the date of diagnosis and censored at the date the patient was last known to be alive if no event had occurred. DFS and OS were described using the Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank tests. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to derive hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and corresponding p-values, both unadjusted and after accounting for other factors. Associations with the following factors were explored: age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, tumor stage (staging of all the included cases was classified as T3 or greater, reflecting the most recent edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system), extent of disease at presentation, and treatment approach. Statistical significance was defined as two-sided p-value < 0.05. The data analysis was generated using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 27.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, United States).


#
#

Results

Patient Characteristics

The median age of patients at the time of disease diagnosis was 67.0 years (range = 15–93) and 53.7% were females. In total, 48.5 and 44.2% of patients had a history of tobacco use and alcohol consumption, respectively ([Tables 1] and [2]).

Table 1

Frequency of clinical characteristics at presentation

n

%

Gender

Male

233

46.1

Female

271

53.7

Any tobacco use

No

124

51.5

Yes

117

48.5

Any cigarette smoking

Never

121

51.1

Former

86

36.3

Current

30

12.7

Any alcohol consumption

Never

130

55.8

Former

22

9.4

Current

81

34.8

Nasal involvement of original tumor at presentation

No

61

12.9

Yes

411

87.1

Sinus involvement of original tumor at presentation

No

293

59.6

Yes

199

40.4

Skull base involvement of original tumor at presentation

No

194

74.9

Yes

65

25.1

Intracranial involvement of original tumor at presentation

No

260

94.5

Yes

15

5.5

T-Stage

T3

239

60.1

T4a

120

30.2

T4b

39

9.8

N-Stage

N0

447

91.2

N1

43

8.8

M-Stage

M0

329

94.3

M1

20

5.7

Table 2

Prevalence of additional surgical findings

n

%

Bony invasion (n = 153)

51

33.3

Lymphovascular invasion (n = 108)

8

7.4

Cartilage invasion (n = 143)

20

14.0

Perineural invasion (n = 115)

13

11.3

Angioinvasion (n = 107)

8

7.5

Dural invasion (n = 227)

7

3.1

Brain invasion (n = 174)

3

1.7

Orbital invasion (n = 210)

33

15.7

Most patients presented with T3 disease (239 out of 398, 60.1%), followed by T4a (120 out of 398, 30.2%) and T4b (39 out of 398, 9.8%). At presentation, nodal disease (43 out of 490, 8.8%) and metastatic disease (20 out of 349, 5.7%) were uncommon. The sinuses and nasal cavity were involved in 40.4% (199 out of 492) and 87.1% (411 out of 472) of tumors, respectively. Skull base involvement was observed in 25.1% (65 out of 259) of patients; however, intracranial involvement was rare (15 out of 275, 5.5%) ([Table 1] and [2]).

The most common surgical findings were bony invasion (51 out of 153; 33.3%), orbital invasion (33 out of 210, 15.7%), cartilage invasion (20 out of 143; 14.0%), and perineural invasion (13 out of 115; 11.3%).


#

Patient Outcomes and Prognostic Factors

After a median follow-up of 21.3 months (N = 467), 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 77.6% (95% CI: 73.4–81.2%), 49.2% (95% CI: 44.2–54.0%), and 38.3% (95% CI: 33.2–43.4%), respectively ([Fig. 1]). DFS data were available for 309 patients ([Fig. 2]), with 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates of 61.4% (95% CI: 55.4–66.8%), 30.6% (95% CI: 25.2–36.1%), and 22.0% (95% CI: 17.0–27.5%). For recurrent or persistent disease, these occurred locally, regionally, and locoregionally in 29.7% (76 out of 256), 5.9% (15 out of 256), and 8.6% (22 out of 256) of patients, respectively. Distant metastasis was observed in 55.9% (143 out of 256) of patients.

Zoom Image
Fig. 1 Kaplan–Meier curve of overall survival.
Zoom Image
Fig. 2 Kaplan–Meier curve of disease-free survival.

Upon univariable survival analysis, there was evidence that higher T-stage (HRT4a versus T3 = 1.32, 95% CI: 0.99–1.75; HRT4b versus T3 = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.27–3.06, p = 0.007), M1-stage disease (HR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.11–3.19, p = 0.031), sinus involvement (HR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.21–1.95, p < 0.001), skull base involvement (HR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.24–2.58, p = 0.003), and intracranial involvement (HR = 3.82, 95% CI: 2.05–7.14, p < 0.001) were associated with worse OS, while a trend toward improved survival was observed for female gender (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63–1.00, p = 0.052) and nasal involvement (HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.49–1.00, p = 0.058). Sinus involvement and intracranial involvement were each independent prognostic factors in multivariable analysis ([Table 3]).

Table 3

Univariable and multivariable Cox regression overall and recurrence-free survival analyses of clinical and tumor characteristics

OS—Univariable

OS—Multivariable

DFS—Univariable

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

Age

458

HR = 1.01

(95% CI: 1.00–1.02)

p = 0.113

NA

308

HR = 1.00

(95% CI: 0.99–1.01)

p = 0.919

Gender

(female vs. male)

459

HR = 0.79

(95% CI: 0.63–1.00)

p = 0.052*

231

HR = 0.89

(95% CI: 0.63–1.25)

p = 0.508

309

HR = 0.94

(95% CI: 0.72–1.22)

p = 0.626

Tobacco

(yes vs. no)

233

HR = 1.35

(95% CI: 0.96–1.88)

p = 0.082

NA

185

HR = 0.97

(95% CI: 0.69–1.36)

p = 0.851

Cigarette smoking

229

p = 0.242

NA

181

p = 0.974

Former vs. never

HR = 1.34

(95% CI: 0.93–1.93)

HR = 0.1.01

(95% CI: 0.69–1.48)

Current vs. never

HR = 1.34

(95% CI: 0.80–2.24)

HR = 0.95

(95% CI: 0.56–1.62)

Alcohol consumption

225

p = 0.457

NA

178

p = 0.267

Former vs. never

HR = 0.77

(95% CI: 0.41–1.45)

HR = 0.59

(95% CI: 0.28–1.22)

Current vs. never

HR = 0.82

(95% CI: 0.57–1.17)

HR = 1.03

(95% CI: 0.71–1.48)

T-Stage

390

p = 0.007*

231

p = 0.923

305

p = 0.468

T4a vs. T3

HR = 1.32

(95% CI: 0.99–1.75)

HR = 0.95

(95% CI: 0.64–1.42)

HR = 1.12

(95% CI: 0.83–1.50)

T4b vs. T3

HR = 1.97

(95% CI: 1.27–3.06)

HR = 0.87

(95% CI: 0.42–1.79)

HR = 1.29

(95% CI: 0.84–1.98)

N-Stage

(N1 vs. N0)

452

HR = 1.33

(95% CI: 0.86–2.05)

p = 0.224

NA

306

HR = 1.51

(95% CI: 0.92–2.49)

p = 0.122

M-Stage

(M1 vs. M0)

342

HR = 1.88

(95% CI: 1.11–3.19)

p = 0.031*

231

HR = 1.87

(95% CI: 0.97–3.63)

p = 0.086

292

HR = 1.16

(95% CI: 0.59–2.26)

p = 0.674

Nasal involvement

(yes vs. no)

427

HR = 0.70

(95% CI: 0.49–1.00)

p = 0.058

NA

287

HR = 0.57

(95% CI: 0.38–0.86)

p = 0.011*

Sinus involvement

(yes vs. no)

448

HR = 1.54

(95% CI: 1.21–1.95)

p < 0.001*

231

HR = 1.54

(95% CI: 1.07–2.21)

p = 0.022*

300

HR = 1.15

(95% CI: 0.88–1.50)

p = 0.302

Skull base involvement

(yes vs. no)

253

HR = 1.79

(95% CI: 1.24–2.58)

p = 0.003*

231

HR = 1.41

(95% CI: 0.89–2.22)

p = 0.153

209

HR = 1.02

(95% CI: 0.69–1.51)

p = 0.908

Intracranial involvement

(yes vs. no)

268

HR = 3.82

(95% CI: 2.05–7.14)

p < 0.001*

231

HR = 3.06

(95% CI: 1.44–6.50)

p = 0.007*

219

HR = 4.48

(95% CI: 1.94–10.3)

p = 0.004*

Bony invasion

(yes vs. no)

150

HR = 1.38

(95% CI: 0.89–2.15)

p = 0.160

NA

128

HR = 1.17

(95% CI: 0;77–1.76)

p = 0.469

Lymphovascular invasion

(yes vs. no)

106

HR = 1.37

(95% CI: 0.55–3.46)

p = 0.519

NA

90

HR = 1.57

(95% CI: 0.67–3.63)

p = 0.326

Cartilage invasion

(yes vs. no)

140

HR = 1.42

(95% CI: 0.78–2.58)

p = 0.265

NA

122

HR = 1.39

(95% CI: 0.80–2.41)

p = 0.261

Perineural invasion

(yes vs. no)

113

HR = 1.17

(95% CI: 0.50–2.70)

p = 0.728

NA

93

HR = 0.91

(95% CI: 0.40–2.11)

p = 0.831

Angioinvasion

(yes vs. no)

105

HR = 0.79

(95% CI: 0.29–2.18)

p = 0.638

NA

86

HR = 0.65

(95% CI: 0.24–1.78)

p = 0.369

Dural invasion

(yes vs. no)

225

HR = 1.35

(95% CI: 0.59–3.07)

p = 0.493

NA

172

HR = 1.28

(95% CI: 0.56–2.91)

p = 0.571

Brain invasion

(yes vs. no)

172

HR = 1.52

(95% CI: 0.48–4.82)

p = 0.502

NA

119

HR = 1.95

(95% CI: 0.48–7.95)

p = 0.402

Orbital invasion

(yes vs. no)

206

HR = 1.53

(95% CI: 0.96–2.45)

p = 0.088

NA

183

HR = 1.29

(95% CI: 0.81–2.06)

p = 0.294

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; DFS, disease-free survival; HR, hazard ratio; NA, not available; OS, overall survival; RT, radiotherapy.


For DFS, nasal involvement was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.38–0.86, p = 0.011), while intracranial involvement was associated with worse survival (HR = 4.48, 95% CI: 1.94–10.3, p = 0.004) ([Table 3]) upon univariable analysis. No other variables were significantly prognostic of DFS.

On univariable analysis, T-staging was significantly prognostic ([Fig. 3]), while sinus involvement of the original disease conferred significantly worse outcome ([Fig. 4]) and, compared with an absence of sinus involvement, was associated with positive surgical margins (37.7 vs. 21.1%, p = 0.008), skull base involvement (34.3 vs. 18.1%, p = 0.004), bony invasion (50.0 vs. 20.2%, p < 0.001), cartilage invasion (25.8 vs. 3.8%, p < 0.001), and orbital invasion (25.4 vs. 4.3%, p < 0.001) ([Supplementary Table S1], available in the online version). When looking at T-staging, while T4b conferred substantially worse survival, the delineation of the survival curves between T3 and T4a was less clear, prompting us to determine the utility of integrating sinus involvement as part of T-staging. The model of T3 and T4 disease, where T3 was stratified by tumor site being nasal only or involving the sinuses, had a strong prognostic value (p < 0.001, [Fig. 5]) and demonstrated that there exists a subgroup of patients within T3 disease who have worse survival, at least in part due to sinus involvement, and that this group has a similar outcome to T4a disease. To build on this, a model of T-staging, where T3 with sinus involvement and T4a were combined, was evaluated and found to be significantly prognostic (p < 0.001, [Fig. 6]).

Zoom Image
Fig. 3 Kaplan–Meier curve of T Staging.
Zoom Image
Fig. 4 Kaplan–Meier curve of sinus (maxillary, frontal, ethmoid, and/or sphenoid) involvement of the primary tumor.
Zoom Image
Fig. 5 Kaplan–Meier curve of a modified T-staging system, where T3 has been stratified by sinus involvement.
Zoom Image
Fig. 6 Kaplan–Meier curve of a modified T-staging system, where T3 with sinus involvement has been combined with T4a.

#

Treatment Approaches and Role of Immunotherapy

Surgery was performed in 89.3% (431 out of 483) of patients, among these 40.7% (197 out of 483) underwent surgery alone, while 44.5% (215 out of 483) received adjuvant radiotherapy as well. Very few patients received adjuvant chemotherapy (54 out of 483, 11.2%) ([Table 4]). There was evidence that patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy had moderately better OS compared with those who underwent surgery alone (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57–0.96, p = 0.021, [Fig. 7a]), and might have had longer local recurrence-free survival (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.37–1.04, p = 0.066, [Fig. 7b]); however, the evidence for the latter is less robust. OS also improved for those who underwent endoscopic resection compared with combined/open surgery (HR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58–0.99, p = 0.039, [Tables 5] and [6]), although a selection bias for more limited disease for endoscopic resection was likely. The addition of adjuvant chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy appeared to be detrimental (HR = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.92–2.97, p = 0.114), although the number of patients receiving surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were small. Moreover, this observation was likely confounded by the severity of the disease which might have informed the treatment approach at the outset ([Table 6]).

Table 4

Number and frequency of patients who underwent the various treatment approaches

n

%

None‎/Biopsy

9

1.9

Excisional biopsy

1

0.2

Surgery only

197

40.8

RT only

4

0.8

Chemotherapy only

6

1.2

Surgery and RT

192

39.8

Surgery and chemotherapy

19

3.9

Chemoradiotherapy

6

1.2

Surgery and chemoradiotherapy

23

4.8

Other

4

0.8

Immunotherapy

17

3.5

Biochemotherapy

5

1.0

Abbreviation: RT, radiotherapy.


Table 5

Number and frequency of patients who underwent endoscopic or open/combined surgery

n

%

Endoscopic resection

201

55.1

Open/Combined

164

44.9

Table 6

Univariable Cox regression overall, disease-free, and local recurrence-free survival analyses of treatment approach

OS—Univariable

DFS—Univariable

LRFS

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

n

HR

(95% CI)

p-value

Endoscopic versus other surgical approach

337

HR = 0.76

(95% CI: 0.58–0.99)

p = 0.039

217

HR = 0.81

(95% CI: 0.59–1.10)

p = 0.176

92

HR = 0.81

(95% CI: 0.44–1.49)

p = 0.495

Surgery and Adj. RT versus surgery alone

363

HR = 0.74

(95% CI: 0.57–0.96)

p = 0.021

254

HR = 0.83

(95% CI: 0.63–1.10)

p = 0.202

124

HR = 0.62

(95% CI: 0.37–1.04)

p = 0.066

Surgery and Adj. CRT versus surgery and Adj. RT

204

HR = 1.65

(95% CI: 0.92–2.97)

p = 0.114

147

HR = 1.49

(95% CI: 0.79–2.78)

p = 0.239

65

HR = 1.15

(95% CI: 0.27–4.93)

p = 0.852

Abbreviations: Adj. adjuvant; CI, confidence interval; CRT, chemoradiotherapy; DFS, disease-free survival; HR, hazard ratio; LRFS, local recurrence-free survival; OS, overall survival; RT, radiotherapy.


Zoom Image
Fig. 7 (a) Kaplan–Meier overall survival curve of surgery only versus surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for the treatment of disease at presentation. (b) Kaplan–Meier local recurrence-free survival curve of surgery only versus surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for the treatment of disease at presentation.

For the management of recurrent or persistent disease, with or without distant metastasis (n = 99), 57.0, 37.4, and 41.4% of patients underwent surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, respectively, either unimodally or in combination. Interferon and/or interleukin (i.e., biochemotherapy) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, or nivolumab) were administered to 15.2 and 27.3%, respectively, either on their own or as part of multimodal care ([Table 7]). In exploratory analyses, the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors at any point in the management of recurrence/persistent disease conferred a significant OS benefit (HR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.25–1.00, p = 0.036) ([Fig. 8]). This effect was also seen when considering patients with distant metastatic disease as a single group (HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.09–0.74, p = 0.004) ([Fig. 9]). Conversely, biochemotherapy did not appear to improve survival (HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 0.90–3.43, p = 0.119).

Zoom Image
Fig. 8 Kaplan–Meier curve of checkpoint inhibition compared with biochemotherapy or neither for the management of recurrent/persistent disease with or without distant metastasis.
Zoom Image
Fig. 9 Kaplan–Meier curve of checkpoint inhibition compared with biochemotherapy or neither for the management of recurrent/persistent distantly metastatic disease.
Table 7

Number and frequency of patients who underwent the various treatment approaches for the management of recurrent or persistent disease

Count

%

Immune checkpoint blockade

No

72

72.7%

Yes

27

27.3%

Interferon and/or interleukin

No

84

84.8%

Yes

15

15.2%

Chemotherapy

No

58

58.6%

Yes

41

41.4%

Surgery

No

43

43.0%

Yes

57

57.0%

Radiotherapy

No

62

62.6%

Yes

37

37.4%


#
#

Discussion

This study's findings are based on the largest cohort of SNMM reported to date, comprising an international collaborative effort across 11 tertiary referral centers. Our analysis demonstrates extremely poor outcomes for SNMM, in line with previous literature with half of patients recurring within the first year and 5-year survival of less than 40%.

As previously reported, involvement of the paranasal sinuses confers significantly worse outcomes.[2] [11] [12] [13] [14] In the present study, sinus involvement was more common in the maxillary and ethmoids and less frequently observed in the sphenoid or frontal sinuses. Nevertheless, involvement of any of these was associated with a worse outcome. Furthermore, sinus involvement was significantly associated with more invasive disease, confirming previous findings where tumors in the paranasal sinuses had higher rates of local invasion.[2] Some authors postulate that this may be due to delayed diagnosis of disease involving the sinuses and tumors less amenable to surgery due to anatomical constraints. Lastly, while T-staging appears to adequately delineate prognostic groups, in our exploratory analysis, sinus involvement was able to identify a subgroup of T3 cases, which had a worse outcome compared with those with nasal involvement only. Analyzing a series of 18 patients, Houette et al suggest that in addition to standard staging practice, clinical management should consider the tumor site as a significant prognosticator and allocate treatment accordingly.[14] In our cohort, we demonstrate that outcomes of patients with T3 disease with sinus involvement appear to be similar to those with T4a disease. Based on these findings, we propose an adaptation of the currently used tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) staging system for sinonasal melanoma, i.e., the INSICA (International Network of Sinonasal Cancers; www.insica.org) modification. If adapted in an updated version of the TNM staging system, this would combine the group of patients with T3 disease with sinus involvement and patients with T4a disease and, in essence, expand the current definition of T4a disease to “T4a: moderately advanced local disease in which tumor involves paranasal sinuses, deep soft tissue, cartilage, bone, or overlying skin” with T3 disease encompassing patients with disease in the nasal cavity only.

Management of SNMM remains challenging with most patients experiencing recurrent, persistent, or distantly metastatic disease. For the treatment of primary disease, current surgical approaches, i.e., open or endoscopic, are comparable in appropriately selected patients. Regarding adjuvant radiotherapy, its use has been controversial, as previously published data suggest that it may only improve local control of disease without impacting OS rates.[15] In the present study, we observed improved OS for those who underwent adjuvant radiotherapy, compared with surgery alone. Furthermore, there was a signal that adjuvant radiotherapy may prolong local recurrence-free survival; however, further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Moreover, with the prospect of further developments in the field of irradiation, these technological advancements have the potential to be used for this disease, e.g., proton or carbon ion radiation therapy, which has been used in both nonsurgical protocols concurrent to chemotherapy and in the adjuvant setting in head and neck mucosal melanoma.[16] Regarding surgical approach, we did not observe a substantial difference in survival between those who underwent endoscopic resection compared with open/combined approaches, highlighting that endoscopic surgery for well-selected cases is an effective approach, especially when taking into account the potential benefits to the patient's quality of life and morbidity.[4] [17] [18] Lastly, recent molecular studies showed that a proportion of tumors harbor NRAS, KIT, or BRAF mutations, which are targets for therapies successfully used for other tumors.[19] [20] Prospective studies are needed to investigate the efficacy of such agents for the treatment of SNMM.

Half of our cohort experienced distant metastasis, with 44.1% experiencing local/locoregional recurrence. Surgery with or without (chemo)radiotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for recurrent disease. However, outcomes remain poor. Encouragingly, we observed highly promising survival outcomes with the inclusion of immunotherapy. This was particularly evident with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the multimodal treatment plan for recurrent or persistent local, regional, and distant metastatic disease. We also observed a trend toward an increased use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, but the numbers in our series limited our analysis and we were unable to draw any meaningful conclusions regarding its efficacy. Further studies are needed to confirm any potential benefit of this approach.

Improved survival of patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma upon treatment with the anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, ipilimumab, has been previously demonstrated in a phase 3 randomized controlled trial comparing its use with or without additional glycoprotein 100 peptide vaccine.[21] The safety and efficacy of the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, nivolumab, have also been demonstrated in mucosal melanoma, with superior outcomes for those who receive combination therapy of ipilimumab and nivolumab.[22] For advanced melanoma and ipilimumab-refractory melanoma, pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) has also shown to confer antitumor activity.[23] [24] In a randomized, controlled, phase 3 study comparing pembrolizumab to ipilimumab in patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma, prolonged progression-free and OS were observed in those who received pembrolizumab.[25] Building on these, double immune checkpoint blockade, comprising a combination of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies, has been proposed in recent studies, particularly for the treatment of unresectable melanoma or for patients resistant to a single immunotherapy protocol.[26] [27] Based on this and the superior survival observed in those who underwent immune checkpoint blockade for the management of recurrence, persistence, or distant metastasis from cutaneous melanoma, it becomes clear that further prospective studies are warranted. These future studies will confirm the safety and efficacy of these approaches for the management of SNMM, both in the primary and recurrent settings. Intriguingly, there is evidence to suggest that immune checkpoint inhibitors may have a radio-sensitizing effect, and therefore, a combination of adjuvant immunotherapy and radiotherapy may prove to be advantageous and is the subject of an ongoing clinical trial (NCT04017897).[28]

Lastly, we observed a substantial improvement with immune checkpoint inhibitors over biochemotherapy alone, which itself does not appear to greatly impact survival. Indeed, while biochemotherapy has been widely used in the past, it has been removed from standard practice at several institutions due to a lack of evidence for its efficacy, as well as a high risk of associated toxicities, in line with the findings in this study.

We acknowledge that our study is limited by its retrospective design; hence, statistical analyses are limited to those of an exploratory nature and results should be considered in this context. Furthermore, inherent to this being a large-scale multicenter cohort study, heterogeneity in the data collected as well as missing data were unavoidable, even though an incredible effort was made to mitigate these.

In summary, this is the largest dataset reported to date on SNMM and offers a much-needed update to our current understanding of this extremely challenging malignancy. We confirm previous findings that the tumor site is significantly prognostic with worse outcomes observed for those with sinus involvement of any kind. We propose a refined staging system that takes this into account. While we could not draw any confirmatory conclusions regarding the role of immunotherapy in the adjuvant setting for primary disease, the beneficial use of immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent, persistent, or distantly metastatic disease may be substantial. This is of particular importance as most patients will suffer recurrence or distant metastasis, for which treatment options have traditionally been very limited. In line with our findings, further trials on immune checkpoint inhibitors are warranted in both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment setting for SNMM.


#
#

Conflict of Interest

NL receives research funding from Merck Inc., not related to this manuscript and was a consultant for CoolTech Inc. and holds stock in Navigen Pharmaceuticals, both of which are unrelated to this manuscript. All other authors declare no potential relevant conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the invaluable support from Prof. Tariq Enver and the UCL Cancer Institute. We would also like to thank Josep Linares, Dr. Naomi Guppy, and David Allan from HSL Labs/UCL Advanced Diagnostics.

Authors' Contributions

M.L., Y.T., M.T.-Z., M.F., J. L., N.C., P.H.H., M.H., P.B., P.C., D.M.B., V.J.L., and E.Y.H. were responsible for conception and design.


M.L., Y.T., M.T.-Z., M.F., J.L., N.C., P.H.H., M.H., P.B., P. C., D.M.B., V.J.L., and E.Y.H. were responsible for the development of methodology.


M.L., Y.T., M.T.-Z., M.F., J.L., D. M., V.R., W.V., D.L., R.S., K.W.P., V.H.S., A.F., C.F., F.S., S.B., T.F., F.M.V., P. O'F., P. S., S.W., S.A.H., S.U., J.H., R.D., C.T.F., P.R., S.G., J.J., P.J. A., M.D., D.T., A.T., T.Z., G.R., C. S., J.E.J., J.L., E.W.W., C.S., P.D.L., R. W., J.P. O'N., A.S., R.P.K., T.Z., M. R. Jr., G.G., N.L., Q.T. L., R.B.W., Z.M.P., J. N., P.H.H., M.H., J.L., F.F., P.N., P. B., P.C., A.J., D.C., M.D.F., D.M.B., V.J. L., and E.Y.H. were responsible for acquisition of data.


M.L., Y.T., M.T.-Z., M.F., J.L., N.C., P.H.H., M.H., P.B., P.C., D.M.B., V.J.L., and E.Y.H. were responsible for analysis and interpretation of data.


M.L., Y.T., M.T.-Z., M.F., J.L., N.C., D.M., D.T., A.E.T., J.E.J., J.L., C.S., R.W., P.H.H., A.S., M.H., P.B., P.C., D.M.B., V.J. L., and E.Y.H. were Writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript.


M.L., V.J.L., and E.Y.H. were responsible for study supervision.


* These authors contributed equally to this article.


Supplementary Material

  • References

  • 1 Lund VJ, Chisholm EJ, Howard DJ, Wei WI. Sinonasal malignant melanoma: an analysis of 115 cases assessing outcomes of surgery, postoperative radiotherapy and endoscopic resection. Rhinology 2012; 50 (02) 203-210
  • 2 Amit M, Tam S, Abdelmeguid AS. et al. Patterns of treatment failure in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol 2018; 25 (06) 1723-1729
  • 3 Lund VJ. Sinonasal malignant melanoma. Adv Otorhinolaryngol 2020; 84: 185-196
  • 4 Miglani A, Patel SH, Kosiorek HE, Hinni ML, Hayden RE, Lal D. Endoscopic resection of sinonasal mucosal melanoma has comparable outcomes to open approaches. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2017; 31 (03) 200-204
  • 5 Hur K, Zhang P, Yu A, Kim-Orden N, Kysh L, Wrobel B. Open versus endoscopic approach for sinonasal melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2019; 33 (02) 162-169
  • 6 Meleti M, Leemans CR, de Bree R, Vescovi P, Sesenna E, van der Waal I. Head and neck mucosal melanoma: experience with 42 patients, with emphasis on the role of postoperative radiotherapy. Head Neck 2008; 30 (12) 1543-1551
  • 7 Ajmani GS, Liederbach E, Kyrillos A, Wang CH, Pinto JM, Bhayani MK. Adjuvant radiation and survival following surgical resection of sinonasal melanoma. Am J Otolaryngol 2017; 38 (06) 663-667
  • 8 Gore MR, Zanation AM. Survival in sinonasal melanoma: a meta-analysis. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2012; 73 (03) 157-162
  • 9 Manton T, Tillman B, McHugh J, Bellile E, McLean S, McKean E. Sinonasal melanoma: a single institutional analysis and future directions. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2019; 80 (05) 484-492
  • 10 Ganti A, Raman A, Shay A. et al. Treatment modalities in sinonasal mucosal melanoma: a national cancer database analysis. Laryngoscope 2020; 130 (02) 275-282
  • 11 Dauer EH, Lewis JE, Rohlinger AL, Weaver AL, Olsen KD. Sinonasal melanoma: a clinicopathologic review of 61 cases. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008; 138 (03) 347-352
  • 12 Khan MN, Kanumuri VV, Raikundalia MD. et al. Sinonasal melanoma: survival and prognostic implications based on site of involvement. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2014; 4 (02) 151-155
  • 13 Roth TN, Gengler C, Huber GF, Holzmann D. Outcome of sinonasal melanoma: clinical experience and review of the literature. Head Neck 2010; 32 (10) 1385-1392
  • 14 Houette A, Gilain L, Mulliez A, Mom T, Saroul N. Prognostic value of two tumour staging classifications in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis 2016; 133 (05) 313-317
  • 15 Umeda Y, Yoshikawa S, Kiniwa Y. et al. Real-world efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody or combined anti-PD-1 plus anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, with or without radiotherapy, in advanced mucosal melanoma patients: a retrospective, multicenter study. Eur J Cancer 2021; 157: 361-372
  • 16 Takayasu Y, Kubo N, Shino M. et al; Working Group on Head and Neck Tumors. Carbon-ion radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for head and neck mucosal melanoma: prospective observational study. Cancer Med 2019; 8 (17) 7227-7235
  • 17 Swegal W, Koyfman S, Scharpf J. et al. Endoscopic and open surgical approaches to locally advanced sinonasal melanoma: comparing the therapeutic benefits. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014; 140 (09) 840-845
  • 18 Castelnuovo P, Lepera D, Turri-Zanoni M. et al. Quality of life following endoscopic endonasal resection of anterior skull base cancers. J Neurosurg 2013; 119 (06) 1401-1409
  • 19 Turri-Zanoni M, Medicina D, Lombardi D. et al. Sinonasal mucosal melanoma: Molecular profile and therapeutic implications from a series of 32 cases. Head Neck 2013; 35 (08) 1066-1077
  • 20 Amit M, Tam S, Abdelmeguid AS. et al. Mutation status among patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma and its impact on survival. Br J Cancer 2017; 116 (12) 1564-1571
  • 21 Hodi FS, O'Day SJ, McDermott DF. et al. Improved survival with ipilimumab in patients with metastatic melanoma. N Engl J Med 2010; 363 (08) 711-723
  • 22 D'Angelo SP, Larkin J, Sosman JA. et al. Efficacy and safety of nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab in patients with mucosal melanoma: a pooled analysis. J Clin Oncol 2017; 35 (02) 226-235
  • 23 Ribas A, Hamid O, Daud A. et al. Association of pembrolizumab with tumor response and survival among patients with advanced melanoma. JAMA 2016; 315 (15) 1600-1609
  • 24 Ribas A, Puzanov I, Dummer R. et al. Pembrolizumab versus investigator-choice chemotherapy for ipilimumab-refractory melanoma (KEYNOTE-002): a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol 2015; 16 (08) 908-918
  • 25 Robert C, Schachter J, Long GV. et al; KEYNOTE-006 investigators. Pembrolizumab versus ipilimumab in advanced melanoma. N Engl J Med 2015; 372 (26) 2521-2532
  • 26 Li J, Kan H, Zhao L, Sun Z, Bai C. Immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced or metastatic mucosal melanoma: a systematic review. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2020; 12: 1758835920922028
  • 27 Rose AAN, Armstrong SM, Hogg D. et al. Biologic subtypes of melanoma predict survival benefit of combination anti-PD1+anti-CTLA4 immune checkpoint inhibitors versus anti-PD1 monotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9 (01) e001642
  • 28 Kim HJ, Chang JS, Roh MR. et al. Effect of radiotherapy combined with pembrolizumab on local tumor control in mucosal melanoma patients. Front Oncol 2019; 9: 835

Address for correspondence

Matt Lechner, MD, PhD
UCL Cancer Institute, University College London
London WC1E 6DD
United Kingdom   

Valerie J. Lund, MS FRCS FRCSEd
Royal National ENT Hospital and Head and Neck Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust
London NW1 2PG, United Kingdom
UCL Ear Institute, University College London
London WC1X 8EE
United Kingdom   

Ehab Y. Hanna, MD FACS
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX 77030
United States   

Publication History

Received: 22 January 2022

Accepted: 22 April 2022

Article published online:
10 July 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

  • References

  • 1 Lund VJ, Chisholm EJ, Howard DJ, Wei WI. Sinonasal malignant melanoma: an analysis of 115 cases assessing outcomes of surgery, postoperative radiotherapy and endoscopic resection. Rhinology 2012; 50 (02) 203-210
  • 2 Amit M, Tam S, Abdelmeguid AS. et al. Patterns of treatment failure in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol 2018; 25 (06) 1723-1729
  • 3 Lund VJ. Sinonasal malignant melanoma. Adv Otorhinolaryngol 2020; 84: 185-196
  • 4 Miglani A, Patel SH, Kosiorek HE, Hinni ML, Hayden RE, Lal D. Endoscopic resection of sinonasal mucosal melanoma has comparable outcomes to open approaches. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2017; 31 (03) 200-204
  • 5 Hur K, Zhang P, Yu A, Kim-Orden N, Kysh L, Wrobel B. Open versus endoscopic approach for sinonasal melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2019; 33 (02) 162-169
  • 6 Meleti M, Leemans CR, de Bree R, Vescovi P, Sesenna E, van der Waal I. Head and neck mucosal melanoma: experience with 42 patients, with emphasis on the role of postoperative radiotherapy. Head Neck 2008; 30 (12) 1543-1551
  • 7 Ajmani GS, Liederbach E, Kyrillos A, Wang CH, Pinto JM, Bhayani MK. Adjuvant radiation and survival following surgical resection of sinonasal melanoma. Am J Otolaryngol 2017; 38 (06) 663-667
  • 8 Gore MR, Zanation AM. Survival in sinonasal melanoma: a meta-analysis. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2012; 73 (03) 157-162
  • 9 Manton T, Tillman B, McHugh J, Bellile E, McLean S, McKean E. Sinonasal melanoma: a single institutional analysis and future directions. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2019; 80 (05) 484-492
  • 10 Ganti A, Raman A, Shay A. et al. Treatment modalities in sinonasal mucosal melanoma: a national cancer database analysis. Laryngoscope 2020; 130 (02) 275-282
  • 11 Dauer EH, Lewis JE, Rohlinger AL, Weaver AL, Olsen KD. Sinonasal melanoma: a clinicopathologic review of 61 cases. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008; 138 (03) 347-352
  • 12 Khan MN, Kanumuri VV, Raikundalia MD. et al. Sinonasal melanoma: survival and prognostic implications based on site of involvement. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2014; 4 (02) 151-155
  • 13 Roth TN, Gengler C, Huber GF, Holzmann D. Outcome of sinonasal melanoma: clinical experience and review of the literature. Head Neck 2010; 32 (10) 1385-1392
  • 14 Houette A, Gilain L, Mulliez A, Mom T, Saroul N. Prognostic value of two tumour staging classifications in patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis 2016; 133 (05) 313-317
  • 15 Umeda Y, Yoshikawa S, Kiniwa Y. et al. Real-world efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody or combined anti-PD-1 plus anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, with or without radiotherapy, in advanced mucosal melanoma patients: a retrospective, multicenter study. Eur J Cancer 2021; 157: 361-372
  • 16 Takayasu Y, Kubo N, Shino M. et al; Working Group on Head and Neck Tumors. Carbon-ion radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for head and neck mucosal melanoma: prospective observational study. Cancer Med 2019; 8 (17) 7227-7235
  • 17 Swegal W, Koyfman S, Scharpf J. et al. Endoscopic and open surgical approaches to locally advanced sinonasal melanoma: comparing the therapeutic benefits. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014; 140 (09) 840-845
  • 18 Castelnuovo P, Lepera D, Turri-Zanoni M. et al. Quality of life following endoscopic endonasal resection of anterior skull base cancers. J Neurosurg 2013; 119 (06) 1401-1409
  • 19 Turri-Zanoni M, Medicina D, Lombardi D. et al. Sinonasal mucosal melanoma: Molecular profile and therapeutic implications from a series of 32 cases. Head Neck 2013; 35 (08) 1066-1077
  • 20 Amit M, Tam S, Abdelmeguid AS. et al. Mutation status among patients with sinonasal mucosal melanoma and its impact on survival. Br J Cancer 2017; 116 (12) 1564-1571
  • 21 Hodi FS, O'Day SJ, McDermott DF. et al. Improved survival with ipilimumab in patients with metastatic melanoma. N Engl J Med 2010; 363 (08) 711-723
  • 22 D'Angelo SP, Larkin J, Sosman JA. et al. Efficacy and safety of nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab in patients with mucosal melanoma: a pooled analysis. J Clin Oncol 2017; 35 (02) 226-235
  • 23 Ribas A, Hamid O, Daud A. et al. Association of pembrolizumab with tumor response and survival among patients with advanced melanoma. JAMA 2016; 315 (15) 1600-1609
  • 24 Ribas A, Puzanov I, Dummer R. et al. Pembrolizumab versus investigator-choice chemotherapy for ipilimumab-refractory melanoma (KEYNOTE-002): a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol 2015; 16 (08) 908-918
  • 25 Robert C, Schachter J, Long GV. et al; KEYNOTE-006 investigators. Pembrolizumab versus ipilimumab in advanced melanoma. N Engl J Med 2015; 372 (26) 2521-2532
  • 26 Li J, Kan H, Zhao L, Sun Z, Bai C. Immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced or metastatic mucosal melanoma: a systematic review. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2020; 12: 1758835920922028
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Fig. 1 Kaplan–Meier curve of overall survival.
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Fig. 2 Kaplan–Meier curve of disease-free survival.
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Fig. 3 Kaplan–Meier curve of T Staging.
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Fig. 4 Kaplan–Meier curve of sinus (maxillary, frontal, ethmoid, and/or sphenoid) involvement of the primary tumor.
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Fig. 5 Kaplan–Meier curve of a modified T-staging system, where T3 has been stratified by sinus involvement.
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Fig. 6 Kaplan–Meier curve of a modified T-staging system, where T3 with sinus involvement has been combined with T4a.
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Fig. 7 (a) Kaplan–Meier overall survival curve of surgery only versus surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for the treatment of disease at presentation. (b) Kaplan–Meier local recurrence-free survival curve of surgery only versus surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for the treatment of disease at presentation.
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Fig. 8 Kaplan–Meier curve of checkpoint inhibition compared with biochemotherapy or neither for the management of recurrent/persistent disease with or without distant metastasis.
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Fig. 9 Kaplan–Meier curve of checkpoint inhibition compared with biochemotherapy or neither for the management of recurrent/persistent distantly metastatic disease.