The nasal cavity is the space just behind the nose where air passes on its way to the throat. The paranasal sinuses are air-filled areas that surround the nasal cavity.
Sinus and nasal cavity cancer can form as a tumor (or tumors) in two places: the spaces around your nose where mucus is produced, or the space behind your nose where air passes on its way to your lungs. This rare disease has symptoms that are often confused with other common sinus issues.
People with nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer may experience the following symptoms or signs. A symptom is something that only the person experiencing it can identify and describe, such as fatigue, nausea, or pain. A sign is something that other people can identify and measure, such as a fever, rash, or an elevated pulse. Together, signs and symptoms can help describe a medical problem. Sometimes, people with nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer do not have any of the signs and symptoms described below. Or, the cause of a symptom or sign may be a medical condition that is not cancer.
These types of cancer are usually diagnosed in their later stages because early-stage cancer typically does not cause any symptoms. Nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer is often discovered when a person is being treated for seemingly benign, inflammatory disease of the sinuses, such as sinusitis.
Nasal cavity cancers are often removed in a procedure called wide local excision. This means removing the tumor plus an edge of normal tissue around it. ... If the tumor is in the lateral (side) wall of the nasal cavity, this wall may need to be removed by a procedure called a medial maxillectomy
The nasal cavity includes the nostrils and the area behind the nose. Surgery in this area is very specialised and only a specialist surgeon can do it. They will try to remove the cancer and some surrounding tissue but will also try to change your appearance as little as possible.
