Symptoms

Often, nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer is discovered when a person is being treated for seemingly benign, inflammatory disease of the sinuses, such as sinusitis. People with nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer do not show any of these symptoms. In fact, this type of cancer is usually diagnosed only at later stages, because early cancer does not usually cause any symptoms. In addition, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor.

• Nasal obstruction or persistent nasal congestion and stuffiness, which is often referred to as sinus congestion
  
  
• Chronic sinus infections that do not respond to treatment with antibiotics
  
  
• Frequent headaches or pain in the sinus region
  
  
• Swelling or other trouble with the eyes
  
  
• Pain or swelling in the face, eyes, or ears
  
  
• Persistent tearing of the eyes
  
  
• Bulging of one of the eyes or vision loss
  
  
• Decreased sense of smell
  
  
• Pain or numbness in the teeth
  
  
• Loosening of teeth
  
  
• Lump on the face, nose, or inside the mouth
  
  
• Frequent runny nose
  
  
• Frequent nosebleeds
  
  
• Difficulty opening the mouth
  
  
• Lump or sore inside the nose that does not heal
  
  
• Fatigue
  
  
• Unexplained weight loss
  
  
• Lump in the neck

People who notice any of these warning signs should consult a doctor and/or dentist right away. And, particularly if symptoms persist for several weeks, the person is encouraged to seek a detailed physical examination. Like other types of cancer, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer has a much better chance of cure when found early.

Because many of these symptoms can be caused by other, noncancerous health conditions, it is always important to receive regular health and dental screenings; this is particularly important for those people who routinely drink alcohol or currently use tobacco products or have used them in the past.

In fact, people who use alcohol and tobacco should receive a general screening examination at least once a year. This is a simple, quick procedure in which the doctor looks in the nose, mouth, and throat for abnormalities and feels for lumps in the neck. If anything unusual is found, the doctor will recommend a more extensive examination using one or more of the diagnostic procedures mentioned in the Diagnosis section.