More Experience Needed for Endoscopic Resection of Esthesioneuroblastoma

Surgical resection of rare tumors should always be treated by individuals who have the most experience-whether it be a conventional surgical approach or a microinvasive treatment, said Robert J. Mayer, MD, the Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

These kinds of surgeries should always be performed at a major cancer hospital because even if there are experienced endoscopic specialists, there is always the possibility that a procedure will turn out to be more complicated than expected and it will need to be converted to a conventional procedure, Dr. Mayer said.

He agreed that doctors and patients need to discuss the options for treatment. These are not usually emergency procedures, he said. There is time to plan and review the procedures, and the patient needs to be involved in the decision.

©2008 The Triological Society