Never really paid much attention to nasal cancer, until recently when my friend complained pathetically to me about a cousin of hers, who has been diagnosed with nose cancer. I really felt pity for them, because nasal cancer is one of the rarest type of cancer, and hardly can we find any specialist in this kind of illness, especially in third world countries.
Its awareness is very low, and I guess its because of the low percentage of people diagnosed of this disease. Well, its better to know what nasal cancer is about, and how it can possibly be avoided by us and our loved ones. It is for this reason, i have decided to educate everyone on this rare kind of disease, because prevention is always better and cheaper than cure. So do well to tag along, as we get enlightened on nasal cancer.
A little about the nose
This diagram shows stage T3 cancer of the nasal cavity [License: CC BY-SA 3.0]:
Wikimedia Commons The nose is that protruding region of your face, which is just above your mouth, and between your eyes. Basically, the nose is used for breathing and also a sense for smell. The structure of the nose is determined by the nasal bones and cartilage. When you sneeze, what is simply happening is that foreign bodies are trying to invade the nasal mucosa, which results in sneezing. The hair in your nose, has a very important function, which is the prevention of large particles from gaining access to your lungs, this could cause quite some severe complications
Due to genetics, there are several shapes and sizes of noses. As a matter of fact, no two individuals have the same nose. According to a research by the Guiness Book of Records on the 18th of March 2010, Mehmet Ozyurek of Turkey possesses the largest nose on planet earth. Measuring from the bridge to the tip of his nose, the size is - 3.46 in inches, 8.8 in centimeters
It might also interest you to also know that the nose isn't peculiar to smell alone. The sweet taste you get from your food, wouldn't be quite interesting, if not for the nose. Taste is simply a combination of different sensations. There is a process that takes place when you put food in your mouth, this process is known as olfactory referral. When you put food in your mouth, what happens is, your nose first gets the smell of the food, before sending information to your mouth. This process is what is known as olfactory referral, and is the exact reason why you find it hard to taste better when you have a cold or some other nose conditions
Here are some signs and possible symptoms to look out for
It is very rare for an individual to experience any symptom of nasal cancer in its early stage. This is because of the large space in the nasal cavity, which allows this cancer to grow. Most people discover they have this disease, mostly when it has spread to surrounding organs and tissues
It is very important to be very careful, and double check any observed issue in the nose, because the same symptoms seen in nasal cancer, can also be seen in other health issues. This is why it is best advised you see your doctor if you think you have an issue with your nose, instead of developing divers thoughts in your head, which could worsen matters.
Often times, the symptom of nasal cancer is dependent on where the cancer is originating from. The most popular nasal cancer symptom is a runny or stuffy nose. This often lasts for a very long time, and in most cases, the individual might not even have an allergy or cold. This situation often gets worse with time
There are many other symptoms of nasal cancer, including - The individual starts to lose his sense of smell, develops a swelling face, difficulty in opening the mouth, hearing problems, vision problems, pains in the eye/watery eye, severe headache, pains in the sinus, bleeding nose, experience mucus discharge from the nose, etc. Like I said earlier, most of the above symptoms, can also be experienced in other health issues. Its best you see a doctor once you suspect any of these issues.
What are the possible causes of nasal cancer
Just like many other cancers out there, we are not very certain about what causes nasal cancer. However, there are many risk factors that could possibly lead to the development of this illness, including..
Smoking
If you are a smoker, you are at a higher risk of developing a nasal cancer, than the average individual out there. It is best advised to limit smoking if you often smoke, or completely stop smoking. This is because your risk of developing this cancer increases, as your smoking increases.
There are some chemicals contained in cigarettes, which increases ones chance of developing nasal cancer. One of these chemicals is known as nitrosamines. On the journey of smoke to your lungs while you smoke, the smoke may go through your nasal cavity.
Exposure to certain chemicals and other substances especially at work.
According to research, working in certain jobs increases your risk of developing a nasal cancer. This is caused by exposure to chemicals and other substances on a constant basis
The report was produced in 2012 by The Health and Safety Executive, when they studied different occupations to know if certain occupations increases one's risk of developing a nasal and paranasal cancer. This research went ahead to conclude that 1/3 of nasal and paranasal cancers are occupation linked
Here are some chemicals that increases one's risk of developing a nasal cancer
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an industrial chemical which can be used to make other chemicals, local products, and materials for building. Inhaling this chemical at a regular basis, increases one's risk of developing a cancer.
Wood and leather dust
If you are a carpenter, or involved in making of furniture or other wood related jobs, it is very important to observe every safety procedure wherever you work. Leather dust is often peculiar to individuals that make shoes
Chromium and Nickel
Chromium is a chemical which is used in plastics, leather, stainless steel, etc. Due to its many disadvantages, the use of chromium in making any substance is highly restricted in European countries. Nickel is used in the making of stainless steel
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy involves the use of ionizing radiation to combat cancer cells. Research reveals that people treated with radiotherapy for hereditary retinoblastoma are more prone to the development of nasal cancer than the average individual out there.
Click, to know more about hereditary retinoblastoma
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
A group of viruses, known as human papilloma virus (HPV), which often affects the skin, mouth and throat, often causes nasal cancer. It is a virus popularly known for causing small growth or warts
Recent research findings concludes that about one in every five cases of nasal and paranasal cancers are linked to the virus HPV. Of all the different types of HPV available, type 16 is recorded to be the most common with nasal cancers
Nasal cancer grading and staging
Diagram showing metastasized nasal cavity cancer which has spread to the lymph nodes [License: CC BY-SA 3.0]:
Wikimedia Commons Grading of nasal cancer or any other type of cancer, plays a very important role in determining the pace at which the cancer is growing, its probability of spreading, prediction of a treatment pattern to use, and most importantly how the individual would react/respond to treatment. In order to get the grade of a nasal cancer, the pathologist has to take a look at a sample from the nasal cavity, this is usually done with the aid of a microscope. Grading simply describes how different the nose cancer cells are, and how these nasal cancer cells behave or look differently, compared to a normal cell.
Low grade nasal cancer
If a nasal cancer cell is low graded, it means the cancer cells can be easily differentiated. There is an observed slow growth of the cancer cells in this stage, and the symptoms have barely started showing. Compared to that of high grade, they are very much less likely to spread to other organs, and resembles normal nose cells. This is the best time for a nose cancer to be detected, because there is hardly any complication of any sort
High grade nasal cancer
At this stage, issues are getting pretty complicated. At this stage of nasal cancer, the cancer cells can hardly be differentiated, and therefore makes its separation quite complicated. They spread at a very fast rate, and often grows abnormally, and to the eyes, looks very abnormal. It is often advised to try with everything possible, to not let a nasal cancer issue get to this stage, because treatment gets complicated, more expensive, and complications often escalates.
Staging
Staging of nasal cancer is way different from its grading. Staging deals with the origination of the cancer(I.e. where the cancer first began to grow from), or if the cancer has metastasized to other organs of the body or tissues. Staging is also used to determine the best possible treatment for the patient, and helps predict the development of this cancer.
The TNM system is often used to stage tumors in the nasal cavity, maxillary sinus, and ethmoid sinus. This TNM system describes the origination of the cancer, where it first sited from, its size, and its spread rate.
Nasal cancer treatment options
1. Surgery
When it comes to treatment of nasal cancer, surgery is often the best approach. The goal of this surgery is to carefully remove the malignant tumor and some other normal tissues, without complicating the issue (I.e, causing any form of harm to any of the unaffected regions).
The reason for removing these tissues, is to further study them with the aid of a microscope, in order to detect if any form of cancer is contained its edges. This is to determine if the surgery was successful. If the tissues are clean and contains no cancerous cells, then the surgery was successful. On the other hand, if the tissues are not completely clean, then it means the surgery was somewhat unsuccessful. In cases where there are still cancerous cells in the cut out tissues, then radiation is used to kill the remaining cells. A second surgery might also be needed, instead of a radiation
There are surgical cases which involves the removal of a large portion of the face. This is when the tumour is located at that middle dividing wall in the cavity of the nose. Other cases where the cancer affects the tissues of the external nose. This could eventually lead to the complete or partly removal of the nose. When this is done, there are other ways to rebuild the nose, One of which is by using tissues from other areas of the body, like tissues from the face
2. Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy, Author - Dina Wakulchik from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA [License: CC BY-SA 3.0]:
Wikimedia Commons This involves the use of high radiation to bombard the cancer cells, in order to kill them. Radiotherapy is also used to shrink a tumor before surgery, and destroys minute amounts of tumors which are left after surgery. In cases of nasal cancer, it is often the only method used, because it destroys cancer cells with a very low rate of facial changes. It is also of utmost necessity in cases where this cancer has metastasized to the brain or spinal chord, which makes it extremely difficult for a surgery to be carried out
3. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a ground breaking innovation that has been making waves in the spheres of medicine. Its pattern is somewhat similar to that of chemotherapy, but in its case, the drugs used, are rather cell targeted than general, unlike the case of chemotherapy, which could end up killing both good and bad cells.
Its side effects are minimal, compared to chemo cases, and it is very much more precise. It involves the use of a monoclonal antibody drug called cetuximab, which goes ahead to attack the protein ECGR. This is the protein responsible for cellular division. I call it "The 21st century ground breaking cancer therapeutic approach", And I wrote a full steemit post on targeted cancer therapy, do well to check it out, if you wish to know more
4. Chemotherapy
This is about the most popular type of cancer treatment, and we most likely already know a lot about it. Chemotherapy is often needed when the cancer has gotten to a level where radiation is no longer an option, to slow down the growth rate of a tumor, or better still shrink it. Another situation where chemotherapy is also needed, is when the cancer has metastasized to other vital organs of the body, which often makes it extremely difficult to use surgical approach. Chemotherapy is also used, in order to reduce the risk of a cancer recurring, after a surgery has been performed
Chemotherapy approach involves the use of anti-cancer drugs which reaches other parts of the body via the bloodstream. The major problem with this therapeutic approach is the very fact that they are designed to combat any fast multiplying cells, which exhibits the character of a cancer cell. This could be very dangerous, as cancerous cells are not the only fast growing cells in the body. This explains why most individuals that undergoes chemotherapy, often has no hair on their head, because the cells producing your hair is also fast growing, exactly why people always cut their hair.
5. Palliative therapy
This is the most less talked about cancer therapeutic approach. Funny enough, it is one of the most important. Palliative therapy involves treating a patient outside the environment of the operation theater. This is one of my favorite therapeutic approach. It is an approach where the patient is under complete surveillance, as he or she is observed to live an everyday quality life, in order to check the development of cancer. It also involves checking the individuals lifestyle, like healthy eating habits, proper exercises, and making sure the surrounding of the patient is neat enough to lower the rate of symptoms spring up
Conclusion
Even though nasal cancer is one of the rarest type of cancer, it stil shouldn't be overlooked. The nose is located at the face of a human, and shouldn't be joked with, as any disfigure in the the face could completely damage and individuals countenance. In cases of disfigured face, like the cases of cosmetic prostheses, which involves the use of artificial materials to make a new nose. Prevention remains the best therapeutic option in nasal cancer, because it is cheaper and better than cure (I.e. we musn't first develop nasal cancer, before becoming proactive about our nose).
Thanks,
Written by: @akiripromise
Reference
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[5]. Reference 5
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