Info about Sinus
Sinus cancer
The paranasal sinuses are the spaces found in the bones behind the nose and the cheekbones. The role of the sinuses is to produce mucus that prevents the interior of the nose to dry out. Also, when talking, the air hits these cavities and an individual tone of the voice is obtained.
The paranasal sinus cancer or just the sinus cancer is a very rare disease in the western world. For example, in the UK not even 600 cases are diagnosed annually. However, it is quite common in the East, in countries like South Africa or Japan. The sinus cancer can occur at any age, but the most patients are over 40 years old. In addition, twice as much man develop paranasal sinus cancer that women.
The causes of sinus cancer are not clear, but some environmental factors seem to matter. For example, people that work in the furniture or wood industry and are directly exposed to wood dust, as well as those having used snuff for a long period seem to represent a risk category. The paranasal sinus cancer is not contagious, so it cannot be caught or passed on from a person to another. What is more, it has no genetic connections, so relatives of a patient suffering from paranasal sinus cancer are not more likely than anybody else to develop the disease. Smoking is also considered to be among the risk factors of paranasal sinus cancer.
The symptoms of sinus cancer vary on which of the sinuses are affected. The symptoms most commonly met include: pain felt behind the nose, pain in the upper teeth, swelling in the area of the eyes, blocked sinuses that remain like this for a longer period of time. Other symptoms of the sinus cancer may include: nosebleeds that occur frequently, numbness in the upper lip, cheeks, upper teeth or on the side of the nose, changes of your voice, headaches and double vision. However, having these symptoms does not mean that you suffer from sinus cancer. Nevertheless, they indicate some kind of affection and a specialist should consult and treat you.
To diagnose sinus cancer, the opinion of a specialist is necessary. He will ask you some questions about your family history and will make a physical exam. To confirm the diagnosis, some other tests are required. One of the following is just as good, but your specialist knows which one is the best: X-ray test, CT, MRI or nasophryngoscopy.
The treatment for paranasal sinus cancer depends on various factors such as the stage and the position of cancer. You will be presented more alternatives and your doctor will help you choose the most appropriate one. Surgery is possible only if the cancer has not spread in the surrounding areas or into the lymph nodes. Radiotherapy is the most effective treatment in the case of sinus cancer, but it has some secondary effects. Chemotherapy is rarely used in the case of paranasal sinus cancer as it does not have the best results in this type of cancer.