Nasal Cancer Treatments: Understanding Your Options

Nasal cancer can affect the paranasal sinuses (the hollow spaces around the nose that keep the nose from being too dry) and the nasal cavity. This is a rare form of cancer that almost always occurs in older people and is usually not found until after it has become advanced.

Treatment Overview

• Treatment of nasal cancer is usually comprised of either surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or some combination of these.

Surgery

• Depending on which stage the cancer is in and the size of the tumor, surgical removal of the tumor is usually the first method of treatment.

Radiation

• Radiation treatment is often used after the tumor is removed to prevent the multiplying and spreading of cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is a treatment that kills cancer cells and is often used to kill malignant tumors in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses.

Chemoradiation

• Chemoradiation is a combined treatment using both radiation and chemotherapy to kill and slow cancer cells, especially in cases where the tumor is inoperable.