Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma

TITLE: Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma
SOURCE: Grand Rounds Presentation, UTMB, Dept. of Otolaryngology
DATE: January 3, 2007
RESIDENT PHYSICIAN: Garrett Hauptman, MD
FACULTY PHYSICIAN: Seckin Ulua= lp, MD
SERIES EDITORS: Francis B. Quinn, Jr., MD and Matthew W. Ryan, MD

"This material was prepared by resident physicians in partial fulfillment of educational requirements established for the Postgraduate Training Program = of the UTMB Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and was not intended for clinical use in its present form. It was prepared for the purp= ose of stimulating group discussion in a conference setting. No warranties, eit= her express or implied, are made with respect to its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. The material does not necessarily reflect the current or past opinions of members of the UTMB faculty and should not be used for purposes= of diagnosis or treatment without consulting appropriate literature sources and informed professional opinion."

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a = rare, benign, vascular neoplasm that accounts for less than 0.5% of all head and = neck tumors. JNAs occur almost exclusively in the nasopharynx of adolescent males. The site of origin of JNA remains controversial. Some believe t= hat it takes origin from the superior lip of the sphenopalatine foramen at the junction of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and the sphenoid pro= cess of the palatine bone. Others = claim that it arises from the bone of the vidian canal. JNAs are slow growing and initially expand intranasally into the nasopharynx and nasal cavity and then into the pterygomaxillary space. Over = time, JNAs will eventually erode bone and invade the infratemporal fossa, orbit, = and middle cranial fossa. The blo= od supply to these benign tumors is most commonly from the internal maxillary artery, but may also be supplied by the external carotid artery, the intern= al carotid artery, the common carotid artery, or the ascending pharyngeal arte= ry. Histologically, JNAs originate from myofibroblasts. The tumor lac= ks a capsule and spreads submucosally. It is composed of a fibrous abundance of single endothelial cell lin= ed vascular spaces or channels. = These channels are surrounded by a collagenous tissue network and lack a complete muscular layer.

As always, patient history and physical examinat= ion are of paramount importance in initiating patient evaluation. JNAs classically presents with unilateral nasal obstruction, epistaxis, and nasopharyngeal mass in adolesc= ent males with an average age of onset of 15 years of age. Conductive hearing loss, dacrocyst= its, rhinolalia, hard and soft palate deformity, and hyposmia or anosmia are not uncommon presentations. Advan= ced lesions may cause facial swelling, proptosis, cranial neuropathy, and massi= ve hemorrhage. On physical examination, a smooth lobulated mass is often noted in the nasopharynx and/= or lateral nasal wall. They have= been described as pale, purplish, red-gray, and beefy red. JNAs are compressible. A patient presenting with the above described signs and symptoms should not undergo biopsy due to the risk of bleeding.

During initial evaluation, contrast tomography (= CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to evaluate tumor extent.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> CT Scan is excellent for evaluatio= n of bone detail and will enhance with contrast. Furthermore, the characteristic an= terior bowing of the posterior maxillary wall due to the presence of a mass in the pterygomaxillary space known as the Holman-Miller sign is a finding noted o= n CT Scan. MRI allows for examinat= ion of soft tissue and differentiation of tumor from mucosal inflammation and sinus fluid. Additionally, improved detail of the cribiform plate and the cavernous sinus is noted. Preoperative arteriography is help= ful for the evaluation of feeding vessels and allows for embolization of JNAs.<= /p>

There are a variety of staging criteria develope= d when evaluating JNAs which include those developed by Radkowski, Fisch, Andrews,= and Sessions. The Radkowski crite= ria developed in 1996 is the most recently developed staging system and appears most commonly in recent literature on JNAs.

Treatment options for JNAs include surgery, radi= ation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Surgery is the gold standard of treatment and will be discussed further.&n= bsp; External beam radiation is generally reserved for larger and/or unressectable tumors and tumors that are life threatening do to their locat= ion. The reason for limited use of radi= ation as a treatment modality is due to the potential carcinogenic side effects of radiation. Local control rate= s and recurrence rates are comparable to surgical results, however severe complications are encountered including growth retardation, temporal lobe radionecrosis, panhypopituitarism, cataracts, and radiation induced keratopathy. Tumor recurrence= after radiation therapy may be very slow. Treatment regimens are variable- one proposed regimen used at the University of Florida is 30 to 35 Gy at 1.8 Gy p= er fraction. Chemotherapy is use= d when previous surgery and radiation have failed. Hormone therapy has been proposed = due to the androgen receptors associated with JNAs in an attempt to decrease tumor size and vascularity. The rat= ional behind this treatment is that hormonal stimulation appears to play an impor= tant role with regards to growth of JNAs. Sex hormones have been used to attempt to induce regression. Estrogen has been shown to decreas= e size and vascularity of the tumor, but has feminizing side effects, variable response, and risk of cardiovascular complications. The use of flutamide, an androgen receptor blocker, has been found to have no distict advantage in treatment = of JNAs. Both serious side effec= ts and unproven efficacy have resulted in hormone therapy falling out of favor as a treatment modality.

The treatment of choice in the vast majority of patients is surgical resection. Preoperative selective arterial embolization of feeding vessels from= the external carotid artery has significantly decreased intraoperative blood lo= ss and facilitated resection of larger tumors. Embolization is typically performed 24-72 hours prior to resection. Materials often used include gelfoam and polyvinyl alcohol foam. Gelfoam lasts approximately two we= eks, while polyvinyl alcohol foam is more permanent. Studies have shown preoperative embolization to significantly reduce blood loss. Some complications encountered wit= h the use of this procedure include brain and ophthalmic artery embolization, fac= ial paralysis, and skin and soft tissue necrosis.

Traditional approaches for JNAs include transora= l, transfacial, and combined craniofacial approaches (more specifically transpalatal, transantral, transnasal, lateral rhinotomy, midfacial deglovi= ng, LeFort 1 osteotomy, and infratemporal fossa approaches). Qualities shared by these approach= es include oral and/or facial incisions and the need to remove or divide bone = to gain access to the tumor. Adv= ances in endoscopic sinonasal sugery and the ability to embolize these tumors pre= operatively have made many of the resection amenable to endoscopic technique. The decision to perform JNA resect= ion endoscopically should be based on the experience and skill of the surgeon a= s well as the extent of the tumor (ie. the lateral extent of the tumor must be accessible endoscopically). T= he surgeon must also be willing and able to convert to an open approach if necessary. The morbidity of o= pen approaches must be compared to the morbidity of incomplete tumor resection = by performing the procedure via an endonasal approach. A study by Mann et al in 2004 exam= ined tumor and surgical trends with regards to JNAs. Results showed no change in the st= aging distribution over the twenty year time period examined. There was a change in surgical tec= hnique which was a shift towards endoscopic resection in comparison to open resect= ion. The extent of resection with endos= copic techniques is case dependent. Patient selection for endoscopic resection is of paramount importance for a successful outcome. It has been suggested that tumors involving the ethmoid, maxillary, or sphenoid sinus, the sphenopalatine foramen, nasopharynx, ot pterygomaxillary fossa and have limited extension = into the infratemporal fossa are amenable to endoscopic resection. JNAs that involve the orbit or mid= dle cranial fossa are not ideal for endoscopic excision. The ability to convert to an open procedure is necessary whenever an endoscopic approach is entertained as the surgical approach. The advant= ages of performing endoscopic resection include improved cosmesis by avoiding ex= ternal incisions and it is the most direct approach to the tumor. Several important points deserve discussion with regards to the endoscopic approach. Exposure is obviously necessary for successful tumor removal. A l= arge maxillary antrostomy with wide visualization of the posterior maxillary wall enhances exposure. Additional= ly, a complete ethmoidectomy is helpful. Image guidance helps identify key structures.

Despite encouraging outcomes achieved with endos= copic resction of JNAs, it should not be considered the standard of care. Open approaches are favored by some surgeons and remain indicated for larger JNAs. The morbidity of open approaches m= ust be weighed against the morbidity of incomplete tumor resection and continued t= umor growth. Furthermore, all open approaches can be supplemented by the use of endoscopes. The illumination, magnification, a= nd multi-angled view possibilities can facilitate open approaches.

JNAs have the potential to regress which usually occurs when the patient is 20-25 years old. Complete regression does not occur= in all patients. Spontaneous regression is valuable for residual tumor following treatment. Recurrence rates have been reported between 30 and 50%. Since JNA= s are benign and not multifocal, recurrence reflects incomplete initial resection= and is more appropriately classified as persistent disease. Post-operative surveillance is per= formed by clinical evaluation including nasal endoscopy and imaging with CT and/or MRI. Timing of imaging is var= iable depending on the surgeon.

The major recent advancement in the treatment of= JNAs has been the use of an endoscopic approach. When used for relatively small tum= ors, this technique can decrease morbidity substantially. Additionally, endoscopic technique= can be used in conjunction with open approaches to improve visualization. The treatment of advanced lesions = with intracranial extension is a challenging problem. Complete resection using the least morbid approach should be attempted whenever possible. Unresectable residual disease shou= ld be irradiated if the patient becomes symptomatic or if the tumor progresses on serial imaging. Primary radia= tion should be used when the morbidity of surgical resection is unacceptable.

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