Gross tumor volume in sinonasal tract cancer as a predictor of local recurrence after chemoradiotherapy

Objective: This study investigated whether gross tumor volume of the primary tumor before treatment was a predictor for local recurrence in patients with resectable sinonasal tract squamous cell carcinoma who were treated by chemoradiotherapy. Methods: A total of 24 patients were enrolled. Pretreatment gross tumor volume of primary tumor was assessed by palpitation, perception and imaging. The cut-off value of the gross tumor volume for local recurrence was determined by receiver-operating curve analysis. A log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazards model were used for univariate and multivariate analyses with adjustment for the clinical T category (cT1-T4a/cT4b), respectively. Results: In the univariate analysis, patients with the gross tumor volume ≥83.7 ml were significantly associated with shorter local recurrence-free rate (P = 0.0023) and disease-free survival (P = 0.0064) than those with gross tumor volume <83.7 ml. In the multivariate analysis, gross tumor volume ≥83.7 ml were significantly associated with shorter local recurrence-free rate (P = 0.041). Conclusions: Pretreatment gross tumor volume of primary tumor ≥83.7 ml was significantly associated with local recurrence-free rate in resectable sinonasal tract squamous cell carcinoma.