Sinus and nasal cancer occurs in the mucus-producing tissues that line the nasal cavity (the space behind the nose through which air passes to the throat) and the paranasal sinuses (hollow areas in the facial bones near the nose). More than half of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers occur in the maxillary sinuses (hollow spaces on either side of the nose and below the eyes); fewer cancers develop in the nasal cavity and in the ethmoid sinuses (spaces made of thin bone and mucous tissues behind the bridge of the nose).
These cancers are more frequently seen in people with certain environmental exposures, including: wood and metal dusts, asbestos, paint fumes, and air pollution. Symptoms of these head and neck cancers may include persistent nasal congestion, nose bleeds, chronic sinus infections that do not respond to antibiotic treatment, frequent headaches or sinus pain, swelling of the eyes, and reduced sense of smell.
Tumors of the sinuses are rare with about 2,000 cases per year diagnosed in the US, but our teams has significant experience treating cancers of the sinuses & skull base.