Symptoms of Cancer in the Sinus Cavity

Posted in Sinus Cavities

This purpose of this article is to provide you with more information on the sinus cavity cancer symptoms. The one important thing to know for you is that most of the conditions that affect the sinus are benign in nature and not malignant. There are so many conditions that may affect the sinus cavity and cancer is one of the least common conditions that may occur. The cause for sinus cavity cancer is the uncontrolled and random or haphazard multiplication of the cells present in the sinus cavity. This abnormal or unusual growth of cells forms a mass called a tumor. The tumor formed in the sinus cavity in most cases is benign in nature which means that it is restricted to the sinus cavity only and does not spread to the other parts. However if it becomes malignant then it can spread to the other parts and affect them. The cancers affecting the sinus cavity often spread locally before they metastasize or spread to the other body parts.

The sinus cavity cancer is not a very common problem. The prevalence of sinus cavity cancer is more in people belonging to a low socio-economic background and occurs more in older aged adults.  This problem is more common in the Asian countries. Coming to the sinus cavity cancer symptoms first let us know more about symptoms. Symptoms are the complaints that the patient tells you when you are recording the medical history of the patient. Usually cancers progress up to a certain level before they are detected. Most cases usually complain of a sinus blockage problem and they come usually asking for relief from that problem. So, now let us discuss the common sinus cavity cancer symptoms that patients complain of when they enter a clinic:

  1. Nasal blockage- This is one of the most common symptoms and the patients often complain of discharge from the nose, loss of smell and sometimes even bleeding from the nose. These symptoms are ignored by most people as something very small and sometimes palatal encroachment may be noticed during dental treatment.
  2. Respiratory problems- The patient may give a history of problems in breathing with accompanying pain in the nasal region or neck. Some patients may even complain of difficulty in eating or swallowing which may be due to the spread of the cancer to other regions.
  3. Pain in the sinus region- Once the tumor grows to a certain size it starts putting pressure all around and that may lead to the development of pain in that region. The pain may be felt in the ear region also sometimes.
  4. Facial swelling- If the cancer starts spreading to other areas then there may be a corresponding swelling on the face also. The swelling in most cases would be free of any pain. The swelling in most cases is due to the cancer progressing to the various groups of lymph nodes that are present around the head and neck region.
  5. Other symptoms- If the cancer spreads to the brain or to the lymph nodes then the patients may complain of double vision, weakness, dehydration and loss of appetite. Sometimes the cancer may have progressed to the level that the patient is completely debilitated and anemic. Undiagnosed and untreated sinus cavity cancers can even result in the death of the affected patient. Once the cancer starts spreading to the other vital organs such as the lungs, liver etc… then the prognosis is very poor and the treating the patient at such a stage is a very difficult task. So, if you have been suffering from these symptoms then it is always wise to get a check-up done so that any such problems can be dealt with on time.

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