Nasal and Paranasal Tumors
Nasal and paranasal tumors begin in your nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses. These tumors may be cancerous or noncancerous. Treatment depends on the situation, but often includes surgery to remove the tumor. Other treatments include radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
What is a nose tumor?
A nose tumor is an abnormal growth that begins inside your nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses. These tumors may be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Examples of noncancerous nose tumors include:
- Nasal polyps.
- Hemangioma.
Examples of cancerous nose tumors include:
- Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Adenocarcinoma.
- Neuroblastoma.
- Adenoid cystic carcinoma.
- Sarcoma.
What’s the difference between a nasal tumor and a paranasal tumor?
The main difference is the location of the tumor:
- Nasal tumor: A nasal tumor begins in your nasal cavity, located just behind your nose.
- Paranasal sinus tumor: A paranasal sinus tumor begins in your paranasal sinuses — the air-filled chambers located around your nose.
Nose tumor symptoms may include:
- Chronic nasal congestion or sinus blockage, particularly on one side.
- Loss of sense of smell (anosmia).
- Nosebleeds.
- Headaches.
- Postnasal drip.
- Pus draining from your nose.
- Watery eyes.
- Changes in your voice.
- Pain around your nose, eyes, ears, cheeks or forehead.
- A growth on your nose, face, neck or roof of your mouth.
- Chronic ear infections.
- Difficulty hearing.
- Eye issues, including bulging eyes, blurred vision or double vision.
- Difficulty opening your mouth.
Nose tumors occur when the genes that control cell growth become damaged or abnormal. Experts still aren’t sure exactly why these gene changes occur.
There are, however, certain risk factors that can increase your risk for developing nose tumors, including exposure to:
- Tobacco smoke (both primary and secondary).
- Wood or leather dust.
- Vapors from certain chemicals and substances, including glue, radium, solvents and formaldehyde.
Healthcare providers use a staging system to determine how far a nasal or paranasal tumor has spread. There are four stages:
- Stage I. The tumor is still contained inside your nasal cavity or paranasal sinus.
- Stage II. The tumor has spread to other parts of your nasal cavity or paranasal sinus.
- Stage III. The tumor has spread into your sinus bones or your eye socket. It may have also spread to a nearby lymph node.
- Stage IV. The tumor has spread deeper into the surrounding structures, such as your brain or other parts of your neck and skull. It may have also spread to distant areas of your body, including your lymph nodes.
If you have questions about cancer staging, talk to your healthcare provider — they’re the best person to tell you about your specific situation.
First, a healthcare provider will perform a physical examination and ask you about your symptoms in detail. Next, they’ll recommend testing based on your specific situation. These tests may include:
- Nasal endoscopy. During this procedure, a healthcare provider will use a thin, flexible tube with a tiny light and camera to look at the inside of your nasal passages and sinuses.
- Blood tests. Your provider may take a small sample of your blood, then test it in a lab for signs of cancer.
- Imaging tests. These tests may include X-rays, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography) scans.
- Biopsy. During this procedure, a healthcare provider takes a small sample of tissue from the tumor. Then, they’ll send the tissue sample to a lab for analysis.
Treatment for a nose tumor depends on several factors, including your medical history, whether the tumor is cancerous and your personal preferences. Healthcare providers typically recommend surgical removal for noncancerous nose tumors.
For cancerous nasal tumors, the most common approach includes surgery in combination with radiation therapy.
Surgery
The main goal of surgery is to remove as much of the nose tumor as possible. If cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, a surgeon will remove them as well. Depending on your situation, your medical team may include oral surgeons, as well as neurosurgeons and ENTs (ear, nose and throat specialists).
Radiation therapy
Your provider may recommend radiation therapy as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with surgery. You might receive radiation therapy before surgery to shrink the tumor. Or you might undergo radiation therapy after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. People who can’t — or don’t wish to — undergo surgery, can receive radiation therapy without surgery.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves medications that kill cancer cells. It may be given orally (in pill form) or intravenously (through a vein). Chemotherapy isn’t used as often as surgery or radiation therapy in the treatment of nose tumors. But in some cases, your provider may recommend chemotherapy or chemoradiation (a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy).
If you have a noncancerous nose tumor, then your provider will likely recommend surgery to remove it. Noncancerous nose tumors generally aren’t life-threatening.
If you have a cancerous nose tumor, your healthcare provider will design a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. This may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of treatments.
There’s no way to prevent nose tumors altogether. But you can reduce your risk by avoiding risk factors like smoking and inhaling harmful fumes. If you work in an environment with harmful chemicals or substances, be sure to follow proper precautionary measures and wear appropriate protective equipment.
References
- American Cancer Society. Key Statistics About Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancers (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/nasal-cavity-and-paranasal-sinus-cancer/about/key-statistics.html). Accessed 4/24/2023.
- Cappello ZJ, Minutello K, Dublin AB. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Nose Paranasal Sinuses (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499826/). [Updated 2022 Mar 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Accessed 4/24/2023.
- Henson B, Drake TM, Edens MA. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Nose Sinuses (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513272/). [Updated 2022 Jul 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Accessed 4/24/2023.
- Taylor MA, Saba NF. Cancer of the Paranasal Sinuses (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34226078/). Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2021 Oct;35(5):949-962. Accessed 4/24/2023.
- Thompson LDR, Bishop JA. Update from the 5th Edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck Tumors: Nasal Cavity, Paranasal Sinuses and Skull Base (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35312976/). Head Neck Pathol. 2022 Mar;16(1):1-18. Accessed 4/24/2023.
- Waldman S, Shimonov M, Yang N, et al. Benign bony tumors of the paranasal sinuses, orbit, and skull base (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35246319/). Am J Otolaryngol. 2022 May-Jun;43(3):103404. Accessed 4/24/2023.
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