Ewing sarcoma of the head and neck: The Mayo Clinic experience

Background Treatment options of Ewing sarcoma of the head and neck include surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemoradiotherapy. However, local control can be challenging. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with head and neck Ewing sarcoma treated from 1972 to 2015 at a single tertiary care hospital. Results Seventeen patients met criteria (median 21 years, range 5‐58 years; 5 women). Mean follow‐up was 10.4 years (range 2.2‐39 years). Tumors occurred commonly in the cervical spine (5/17), the skull (3/17), and the paranasal sinuses (3/17). A total of 14 of 17 patients underwent surgical resection, 9 with gross total resection. After multimodality therapy, the 5‐year overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was 87% and 75%, respectively. Conclusion Combined multimodal treatment resulted in a 5‐year OS and RFS of 87% and 75%, respectively. Aggressive surgical resection with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy should be considered. Although negative margin surgery is the goal, subtotal resection may be acceptable in the setting of adjuvant treatment.