"What You Need To Know About Nasal And Paranasal Cancers" - Kathleen Hall
Nasal cavity and paranasal cancers are a relatively rare type of head and neck cancer. In fact, they occur in less than 3 percent of head and neck cancers, said Richard Bakst, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Nasal cancers occur in the nose itself. Paranasal cancers arise in one of the four pair of sinuses near the nose. These sinuses – the frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses – are lined with cells that make mucous, which keeps the inside of your nose moist when you breathe. Most people develop cancers in the nose, followed by the maxillary sinuses, Dr. Bakst said. The maxillary sinus is adjacent to the nose and under the eyes. "This is where people get a lot of sinusitis or pressure in the face," he said. The prognosis for early stage disease is good, Dr. Bakst said, with cure rates of 75 to 80 percent at five years. If the cancer is advanced at diagnosis, survival could fall to 30 to 40 percent. Patients are followed rigorously after treatment, with scans every three to four months and regular endoscopies to make sure there is no new cancer.
- Richard Bakst, MD, Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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