What types of malignant tumors (cancers) occur in the nose and sinuses?
Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of nasal/sinus cancer and makes up approximately 70 percent of malignant tumors. It arises from the epithelial cells in the respiratory tract. Adenocarcinoma makes up approximately 10 to 20 percent of cancers in the sinuses and arises from glandular cells in the sinus lining. Lymphomas comprise approximately 5 percent of sinonasal cancers and arise from cells in the immune system or lymphatic channels. Melanomas make up approximately 3 percent of sinus cancers. They develop from cells that contain pigment in the sinus lining and are very aggressive. Esthesioneuroblastomas arise from nerves that provide sense of smell. These tumors occur at the skull base, where the nerves exit from the brain and enter the roof of the nasal cavity. Other types of malignant tumors can arise from any of the cells in the sinuses, such as blood vessels, bone, cartilage, muscle and fibrous cells.
