What Are the Treatments for Nasal Cancer?

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.