Stages of cancer of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity

Staging
After cancer of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity is found, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This is called staging. A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment.

There is no staging system for cancer of the nasal cavity or for some of the less common paranasal sinus cancers.

The following stages are used for cancer of the maxillary sinus, the most common type of paranasal sinus cancer:

• Stage I
  The cancer is in only the maxillary sinus and has not destroyed any of the bone in the sinus. The cancer has not spread to lymph nodes in the area (lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store infection-fighting cells).

• Stage II
  The cancer has begun to destroy the bones around the sinus, but has not spread to lymph nodes in the area.

• Stage III
  Either of the following may be true:

  1. The cancer has spread no further than the bones around the sinus and to only one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer. The lymph node that contains cancer measures no more than 3 centimeters (just over one inch).

  2. The cancer has spread to the cheek, the back of the maxillary sinus, the eye socket, or the ethmoid sinus in front of the maxillary sinus. The cancer may or may not have spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer.

• Stage IV
  Any of the following may be true:

  1. The cancer has spread to the eye or to other sinuses or places around the sinuses. The lymph nodes in the area may or may not contain cancer.

  2. The cancer is in only the sinuses or has spread to the areas around it. The cancer has spread to more than one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer, to lymph nodes on one or both sides of the neck, or to any lymph node that measures more than 6 centimeters (over 2 inches).

  3. The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Recurrent
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the paranasal sinuses or nasal cavity or in another part of the body.

Information provided by The National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)