Background Flashcards
What is the incidence of sinonasal/paranasal sinus (PNS) tumors in the United States?
∼2,000 cases/yr (<1% of all tumors). 3% of H&N cancers.
Is there a sex predilection for sinonasal/PNS tumors?
Yes. Males are more commonly affected than females (2:1).
Sinonasal/PNS tumors are more common in what continents?
PNS tumors are more prevalent in Asia and Africa.
What histologies are typically seen with sinonasal/PNS tumors?
Squamous (50%), adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic, melanoma, esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC), small cell, sarcoma (RMS), lymphoma, plasmacytoma, and mets.
What nonmalignant entities present as a mass in the PNS or the nasal cavity?
Sinonasal polyposis, choanal polyps, and juvenile angiofibromas.
What sinuses make up the PNS?
The frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid, and maxillary sinuses make up the PNS.
What structures border the maxillary sinus?
Anterior: facial bone
Anterolateral: zygomatic arch
Posterolateral: infratemporal fossa
Posterior: pterygopalatine fossa
Superior: orbital floor
Inferior: hard palate
Medial: nasal cavity
What is the name for the thin bone in the medial wall of the orbit that is prone to erosion/breakthrough by ethmoid tumors?
The thin bone of the medial orbital wall is called the lamina papyracea.
What is the local invasion pattern of ethmoid tumors?
Superiorly through the cribriform plate to the ant cranial fossa or medially through the lamina papyracea into the orbit.
Which is the most common sinus/site of origin for PNS tumors?
The maxillary sinus is the most commonly involved sinus/site for PNS tumors (70%–80%).
What is the most common site for ENB?
The nasal cavity.
What environmental exposures are associated with the development of sinonasal/PNS tumors?
Industrial fumes, wood dust, nickel, chromium, hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, nitrogen mustard, air pollution. They have also been linked to HPV and EBV.
