OBJECTIVE: We describe our early experiences with resecting skull base tumors using a radiofrequency ablation-assisted endoscopic endonasal approach. Ninety-seven patients with skull base tumors who were admitted to the Otorhinolaryngology department at Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Shanghai Sixth People\'s Hospital between January 2014 and December 2016 were operated on using a radiofrequency ablation-assisted endoscopic endonasal approach. Complete resection was achieved in all patients. This paper describes the operative technique and presents the degree of resection, complications, and early clinical outcomes.
METHODS: We investigated the safety and feasibility of the technique and assessed preliminary treatment outcomes.
RESULTS: No patients experienced a new neurological deficit, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or meningitis after surgery. No deaths related to skull base tumors were observed during the follow-up period (14-50 months). The volume of intraoperative blood loss was 100-1,200 mL (median 350 mL), the duration of operation was 40-510 min (median 180 min), and the hospital stay was 6-65 days (median 18).
CONCLUSIONS: Our limited experience indicates that this technique is feasible and safe for complete resection of some skull base tumors in selected cases and in the future will have an increasing role to play in endoscopic sinonasal and skull base tumor dissection.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression profile, diagnostic and clinicopathological significances of miRNAs in sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP).
METHODS: The expression profile of miRNAs was analyzed using a miRNA microarray approach. The potential functions and clinical significances of specific miRNAs were further analyzed by bioinformatics and statistical methods.
RESULTS: The microarray assay identified 37 significantly upregulated and 21 downregulated miRNAs in SNIP. Of nine miRNAs randomly selected, the expression levels of seven miRNAs were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. The potential target genes of several candidate miRNAs were enriched in some biological processes and cellular signaling pathways related to tumorigenesis. Receiever operating characteristic curve analysis for miR-214-3p indicated an area under the curve of 0.932. Notably, its expression level was significantly decreased in SNIP tissues and associated with SNIP staging and recurrence.
CONCLUSIONS: MiR-214-3p can possibly serve as a valuable biomarker and a therapeutic target for SNIP.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal surgical approach for sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNM) remains under debate. We aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of traditional open resection and endoscopic surgery for patients with SNM treated at a single center.
METHODS: Thirty-three patients diagnosed with SNM who underwent surgery between January 1995 and June 2014 at a single institution were retrospectively analyzed; 18 patients were treated using an open resection approach and 15 using an endoscopic resection approach for the primary tumor. The associations between open resection and endoscopic resection with treatment-related survival outcomes were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.
RESULTS: The most common presenting symptoms were epistaxis and abstraction; the nasal cavity was the most common anatomic location. The open resection and endoscopic resection groups did not have significantly different demographic or tumor characteristics. Overall survival (p = .66) and disease-free survival (p = .73) were modest and did not differ significantly between the open resection and endoscopic resection groups.
CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study indicates that the endoscopic endonasal approach is an effective treatment for SNM in selected cases and, when performed by a skilled surgeon, can enable successful radical resection with a similar efficacy as traditional open resection.