Symptoms of nose cancer

-  Ear fullness, which is similar to the sensation in one's ear as the aeroplane takes off, deafness and ringing in the ear.

-  Nasal obstruction or a blocked nose which fails to clear up

-  Nose bleeding

-  Dripping of phlegm and blood from the back of the throat

-  Sensory or motor paralysis of facial muscles or eye muscle in very advanced cases

-  Enlargement of the lymph node.  This happens when the tumour in the nose spreads to the neck

-  Eyes can get affected when the cancer spreads upwards.  In some cases the cancer can spread both ways – cranial and lymph – and spread to other parts of the body as well.

Treatment of nose cancer

-  Surgery to remove the cancer, or radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy to destropy the cancer cells

-  If the tumour is localised, radiotherapy alone can work

-  If the tumour has spread, a combination of radio and chemotherapy is needed

-  Radiotherapy is done over a period of 33 days

-  If chemotherapy is needed, it is administered during the first week and the fifth week concurrently with radiotherapy

-  There is no viral vaccine to prevent nose cancer

-  No post-treatment medication is required

-  Patients need regular follow-up to ensure there is no relapse

Tags: Cancer, Nose Cancer