A neoplasm is an abnormal growth that develops in the body although not all tumors are cancerous. A neoplasm can either be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The benign tumors are slow growing growths that do not invade other parts of the body. A malignant tumor can invade the surrounding tissue and has the potential to spread to the distant parts of the body. The cancer of the nose can develop from any of the structure such as the blood vessels, nerves and the bone. Some of the risk factors associated with developing cancer of the nasal cavity include the use of tobacco, exposure to leather dust or wood dust, nickel compounds and Epstein-barr virus.
Benign tumors
Benign tumors are the noncancerous slow growing lesions that can develop from any of the areas inside the nose or sinuses such as the lining, the blood vessels, the nerves and the bones. When the tumor continues to grow and becomes large in size, it can affect the ability to breathe normally and in some cases, it can also affect the vision.
Nasal Polyps – these are soft, painless growths developing on the lining of the nasal passage or the sinuses. They can result from a chronic inflammation because of allergies, recurrent infections or asthma. These usually do not cause any symptoms although when they continue to grow large, they can block the nasal passage causing breathing problems, loss of smell and frequent infections. The treatment includes medications to shrink the polyps or surgery to remove them.
Inverting papilloma – this is a warty growth and is a type of benign tumor which is considered to be dangerous as it can destroy the surrounding bone and continuing to grow deeply into the tissues. Some of the inverting papilloma has the potential to develop into a cancerous tumor. These are usually removed with a surgical procedure using an endoscope.
Malignant tumors
It can be difficult to determine the difference between the cancerous and the noncancerous tumors of the nasal cavity as they both present the same symptoms. It is estimated that around 70% of all nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers develop in the maxillary sinus. The cancer of the frontal sinus or sphenoid sinus is considered to be very rare.
Squamous cell carcinoma – this is cancer that begins in the thin cells covering several outer and inner surfaces of the body such as the mucosal lining of the nasal cavity. This is one of the most common forms of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers. Some of the examples of the squamous cell carcinoma include spindle cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma.
Salivary gland cancer – salivary glands are made up of several different types of cells and cancer can begin anywhere in these cells. There are several types of salivary gland cancers. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas are considered to be one of the most common forms of salivary gland cancer which can start in the parotid glands although it can also develop in the submandibular glands or in the minor salivary glands.
References
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nasal-polyps/home/ovc-20267294
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/salivary-gland-cancer/about/what-is-salivary-gland-cancer.html
