Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of endoscopic surgery in the management of selected nasopharyngeal cancers. Three different types of nasopharyngeal endoscopic resections (NER) are described.
Method of study: From January 1997 to October 2008, 17 consecutive patients (mean age: 50 years) with previously untreated (5) or recurrent nasopharyngeal tumours (12) were treated with curative intent by pure endoscopic resection. The extent of surgical resection was classified as follows: type I NER: resection limited to the postero-superior nasopharyngeal wall; type 2 NER: resection superiorly extended to the sphenoid sinus; type 3 NER: resection with lateral extension including the cartilaginous portion of the Eustachian tube and parapharyngeal space.
Results: Type 1 NER was performed in 4 cases, type 2 in 6, and type 3 in 7. No intra- or post-operative complications were observed. Mean hospitalization time was 4 days (range: 1-7). Follow-up ranged from 10 to 138 months (mean: 41.2±38). At the time of writing, 12 (71/%) patients were free of disease, 3 (17%) alive with disease, and 2 (12%) dead of disease.
Conclusions: NER is a feasible surgical technique that can be tailored in relation to tumour extension. Larger series and longer follow-up are needed to further validate the long-term results.