Merdeka.com – Symptoms of sinus cancer must watch out. Nasal cancer and sinus cancer are diseases in which cancer cells are found in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses.
Paranasal means around or near the nose. Sinuses are small spaces or tunnels. The paranasal sinuses are small air-filled spaces within the facial bones. They are above and behind the nose and behind the cheekbones.
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Sinus lined with cells that make mucus, which keeps the inside of the nose from drying out when you breathe. The paranasal sinuses and nasal cavities together filter and warm the air, and keep it moist before it enters the lungs. The movement of air through the sinuses and other parts of the respiratory system helps make the sounds for speech.
Paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancers are types of head and neck cancer. Here merdeka.com summarizes more about the symptoms of sinus cancer that are rarely known and their causes:
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Symptoms of Sinus Cancer
In most cases, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers are recognized because of the symptoms that end up bothersome. Finding this cancer in asymptomatic people is rare and usually accidental (when doing tests to check for other medical problems). Possible signs and symptoms of sinus cancer (often only on one side) include:
- Nasal congestion that doesn’t get better or even gets worse
- Pain above or below the eye
- Blockage of one side of the nose
- Post-nasal drip (extra mucus felt at the back of the nose and throat caused by glands)
- nosebleed
- Pus flows from the nose
- Problems with the sense of smell
- Numbness or pain in some parts of the face
- Loosening or numbness in the teeth
- A lump or mass on the face, roof of the mouth (top of the mouth), or inside the nose
- Constantly watery eyes
- One eye protruding
- Loss or change of vision
- Pain or pressure in one ear
- Hearing disorders
- Headache
- Difficulty opening mouth
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck (looks or feels like lumps under the skin)
Having one or more of these symptoms does not mean you have cancer of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses. In fact, many of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by other conditions.
However, if you have any of these symptoms, it is important to see a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed. If treatment (such as with antibiotics) doesn’t work, be sure to return to the doctor for further testing.
Potential Causes of Sinus and Nose Cancer
Nasal cavity or sinus cancer may be related to gene mutations or environmental factors.
Smoke
Smoking increases the risk of nasal cavity cancer. If you smoke, you are at a higher than average risk of developing this type of cancer.
Cigarettes contain nitrosamines and other chemicals that cause cancer. When you smoke, the smoke may pass through your nasal passages into your lungs.
The risk increases the longer you smoke. If you smoke a lot, you increase your risk even more. Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and will reduce your risk of developing cancer.
Display of some substances in the workplace
Research shows that working in multiple jobs increases the risk of developing cancers in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. This is because they can expose you to certain chemicals.
The Health and Safety Executive created a report in 2012 that looked at whether certain occupations increase the risk of nasal and paranasal cancer. They state that about a third of nose and paranasal sinus cancers are job-related.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists all cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) in humans. They list the following substances as having sufficient evidence to increase the risk of cancer of the nose and paranasal sinuses:
- Sawdust (especially hardwood) – people who work in carpentry, including furniture and cabinet makers, wood flooring and other wood-related industries.
- Leather dust – shoemakers may be exposed to leather dust.
- Nickel compound – a metal used to make stainless steel.
- Production of isopropyl alcohol – a type of alcohol used in household products and in manufacturing processes
- Radium 226 and 228 – radioactive metals that can be found in low levels in nature in air, water, soil and rocks.
Human papilloma virus (HPV)
HPV is a common virus that can cause small growths or warts. There are many different types of HPV and some are at high risk for other types of cancer, such as cervical cancer.
About 30 out of every 100 cases (30%) of nasal and paranasal sinus cancers are related to HPV. Of the various types of HPV, type 16 is the most common with cancers of the nose and sinuses.
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