Paranasal Sinus Cancer
A paranasal sinus tumor is a cancer that has grown inside your sinuses, the open spaces behind your nose.This tumor can begin in the cells of the membranes, bones, or nerves that line the area. You might not know or even suspect that a tumor is growing until it spreads.
Paranasal means around or near your nose. Sinuses are spaces or small tunnels. Paranasal sinuses are small, air filled spaces within the bones of your face. They are above and behind your nose and behind your cheekbones. They give your voice its clarity and tone and lighten the weight of your skull. There are several pairs of sinuses and cancer can develop in any of them.
Signs & Symptoms
- Changes in your voice or breathing
- Reduced sense of smell
- Blockage of sinuses, or congestion that never goes away
- Numbness or pain in your face, ears, or teeth
- Frequent nosebleeds
- Headaches
- Pus draining from your nose or postnasal drip
Causes of Paranasal Sinus Tumors
- Being infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Exposure to wood, leather, flour, textile, nickel, or chromium dust
- Exposure to industrial chemicals
- Exposure to radium
- Smoking cigarettes
Staging
The stage of your cancer depends on where the tumor is, how much it has grown into nearby areas, whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of your body, and some other health factors. The stages range from I (earliest stage) to IV (the most advanced). Stages for paranasal sinus tumors are:
- Stage I: The tumor is contained in the sinus and has not spread.
- Stage II: The tumor has spread into other parts of the sinus.
- Stage III: The tumor has spread into the bone of the sinuses or the eye socket and may have spread to a lymph node.
- Stage IV: The tumor has spread deeper into the eye socket, into the brain, or into other parts of the skull and neck, and possibly to more distant parts of the body and may have a larger presence in the lymph nodes.
Treatment
The most common approach to treating a paranasal sinus tumor is a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes, they will be removed as well. Surgery will be planned to preserve as much of your face and function as possible
