What do we mean by 'Nasal Cancer'? Nasal Cancer is a type of Head and Neck Cancer in the nose and nasal cavity. Sinus Cancer. If it's not the cancer type you're looking for, please explore the information about other types of Head and Neck Cancers.
Following a diagnosis of Nose Cancer your cancer care team will discuss treatment options including the possibility of participating in a clinical trial that is suitable for you. This is also a good time to consider if you would like a second opinion. The most suitable treatment for Nose Cancer depends on many things including:
type of nasal or para nasal cancer
size and location of the cancer
whether the cancer has spread
personal factors (e.g. age, general health and treatment history)
types of treatment available (and whether any clinical trials are available)
your preferences for treatment.
Surgery involves taking the cancer out of the nasal cavity and para nasal sinuses and for some people, the lymph glands in the neck. Some people may need extra treatment after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. This can be either radiation therapy alone (adjuvant radiation therapy) or radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy (this is called adjuvant concurrent chemoradiation).
There are a number of different operations that can be used to remove Nose Cancer. The operation used will depend on the size, the type nasal cancer and location of the tumour. Surgical procedures include:
The most common radiation therapy approach for Nose Cancer is called external beam radiation. This type of radiation therapy applies radiation from outside the body. Radiation therapy can be used in the following ways:
Definitive radiation therapy can also be given in combination with chemotherapy (called concurrent chemoradiation). The decision to give radiation therapy, alone or in combination with chemotherapy depends on the type of tumour, how big it is and how fit and strong you are. Typically radiation therapy is delivered one each week day (not on weekends) over 7 weeks.
This is when radiation therapy is given before surgery to help shrink large cancers so they are easier to remove during surgery. Sometimes chemotherapy is added to radiation therapy (chemoradiation) to make it more effective.
This is when radiation therapy is given after surgery. It is used as an additional treatment to kill cancer cells that may not have been removed during surgery. This typically starts about 4 weeks after surgery to give you time to recover from the surgery. The radiation therapy usually lasts for about 6 weeks. Sometimes chemotherapy is added to the adjuvant radiation therapy (chemoradiation) to make it more effective.
In cases where a cure is not possible, radiation therapy is used to relieve symptoms of advanced nasal and para nasal sinus cancer. Symptoms that may require palliative radiation therapy include pain, bleeding and pressure symptoms pressing on vital structures (e.g. visual disturbance and headaches).
Chemotherapy works by destroying or damaging cancer cells. For nasal and para nasal sinus cancers, it is usually given into a vein through a needle with a cannula (tube) attached. There are a number of ways that chemotherapy may be used to treat Nose Cancer including:
Sometimes chemotherapy is added to definitive radiation therapy (chemoradiation). This may be given once every 3 weeks or once a week throughout the duration of radiation therapy. This makes the radiation more effective at killing cancer cells but also leads to more side effects in most people.
This is when chemotherapy is given after surgery and is usually combined with radiation therapy (called concurrent chemoradiation). This may be given once every 3 weeks or once a week throughout the duration of radiation therapy. This makes the radiation more effective at killing cancer cells but also leads to more side effects in most people. Unlike chemotherapy for many other cancers, most people do not lose their hair or have severe nausea and vomiting.
This is when chemotherapy is given before surgery or radiation therapy. It works to shrink large cancers so they are easier to remove during surgery or target with radiation therapy
This is used when the cancer is incurable. The cancer may be too large or has spread too much to be removed by surgery. Palliative chemotherapy helps to slow the growth of cancer and reduce symptoms. It is important to remember that palliative chemotherapy is not as intense as other types and is much less likely to have significant side effects.
whether the treatment is curative or palliative
when it is used
your medical history.
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