Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in patients with head and neck cancer treated with high-dose radiation therapy.
Methods: The clinical records of 43 consecutive patients with head and neck cancer who underwent DCR after high-dose external beam radiation therapy plus ablative surgery and/or chemotherapy between December 2001 and April 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: There were 23 men and 20 women. The median age was 56 years (range, 2-92 years). Thirty-one patients were Caucasian, 6 Hispanic, 4 Asian, and 2 African American. Thirty patients (70%) presented with epiphora, 3 (7%) with dacryocystitis, and 10 (23%) with both epiphora and dacryocystitis. Symptoms were unilateral in 34 patients (79%) and bilateral in 9 patients (21%). The most common primary cancer diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma (n = 14), sarcoma (n = 8), adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 4), and basal cell carcinoma (n = 4). The most common primary tumor locations were the sinonasal cavity (n = 16), maxillary sinus (n = 9), palate (n = 3), and ethmoid sinus (n = 3). Thirty-seven patients (43 eyes) had DCR with silicone tube placement, and 6 patients (7 eyes) had DCR with Pyrex glass tube placement. Following DCR, 31 patients (72%) had resolution of their symptoms, and 12 patients (28%), 9 with silicone tubes and 3 with Pyrex glass tubes, had persistent or recurrent epiphora (DCR failure). The most common reason for failure was significant residual canalicular and nasal mucosal scar tissue. Eight of these 12 patients underwent additional surgery, most commonly with placement of a Pyrex glass tube. Seven (35%) of the 20 patients who underwent DCR less than 12 months after radiation therapy and 5 (21%) of the 23 patients who underwent DCR at least 12 months after radiation therapy had recurrent symptoms.
Conclusions: Dacryocystorhinostomy in patients with head and neck cancer previously treated with high-dose radiation therapy is generally successful, especially when delayed until at least 12 months after the completion of radiation therapy. A common reason for DCR failure after high-dose radiation therapy is severe canalicular and nasal mucosal scarring.