Abstract
BACKGROUND: Timely postoperative radiation therapy (RT) within 50 days of surgery for head and neck cancers provides a survival advantage. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, we performed a propensity score-matched analysis comparing patients undergoing open or endoscopic surgery for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses from 2010 to 2015. RESULTS: Among 168 pairs, patients undergoing endoscopic surgery had shorter time to surgery (24.2 vs 36.7 days, P < .001) and shorter postoperative time to RT (PTTR, 51.2 vs 58.4 days, P = .02). On multivariable linear regression, endoscopic surgery predicted shorter PTTR (β = -7.6, P = .01). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, patients in the longest PTTR quartile had decreased overall survival (OS; Q1 vs Q4, 3-year OS 76.5% vs 53.3%, P = .007), a durable finding when adjusted for covariates (Q1 vs Q4, HR 0.50, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing endoscopic surgery for sinonasal SCC experience shorter PTTR. Shorter PTTR is associated with extended OS.