Sinonasal Malignancy Following Cranial Irradiation: A Scoping Review and Case Report of Sinonasal Teratocarcinosarcoma

Abstract: Background Radiation therapy is a mainstay of treatment for brain tumors, but delayed complications include secondary malignancy which may occur months to years after treatment completion. Methods We reviewed the medical records of a 41-year-old female treated with 60 Gy of radiation for a recurrent astrocytoma, who 6 years later developed a locally advanced sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science to conduct a scoping review of biopsy-proven sinonasal malignancy in patients who previously received cranial irradiation for a brain tumor. Results To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient to present with a sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma after receiving irradiation for a brain tumor. Our scoping review of 1,907 studies produced 14 similar cases of secondary sinonasal malignancy. Median age of primary cancer diagnosis was 39.5 years old (standard deviation [SD]: 21.9), and median radiation dose was 54 Gy (SD: 20.3). Median latency time between the primary cancer and secondary sinonasal cancer was 9.5 years (SD: 5.8). Olfactory neuroblastoma was the most common sinonasal cancer (n = 4). Fifty percent of patients died from their sinonasal cancer within 1.5 years. Conclusion Patients who receive radiation exposure to the sinonasal region for treatment of a primary brain tumor, including low doses or scatter radiation, may be at risk of a secondary sinonasal malignancy later in life. Physicians who monitor at-risk patients must be vigilant of symptoms which may suggest sinonasal malignancy, and surveillance should include radiographic review with careful monitoring for a secondary malignancy throughout the entire irradiated field.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Sinonasal Malignancy Following Cranial Irradiation: A Scoping Review and Case Report of Sinonasal Teratocarcinosarcoma ; volume:85 ; number:03 ; year:2024 ; pages:e101-e111 ; Journal of neurological surgery reports ; 85, Heft 03 (2024), e101-e111

Contributors, Places and Time

• Contributor: Levy, Ben B. ; Biasio, Michael J. De ; Toledo, Nilo Alvarez ; Das, Sunit ; Bartling, Mandolin ; Aldahari, Fahad ; de Almeida, John R. ; Weinreb, Ilan ; Chan, Yvonne

Further information

• DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1788310
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2408221121297.653949886541
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:50 AM CEST