Causes of Nasal Cancer

What Causes Nasal Cancer?

A risk factor is anything that increases your risk of developing a disease. In some cases risk factors are well known; such as smoking and lung cancer, too much sunlight and skin cancer, but with nasal cancer the most likely risk factors involve inhaling certain chemicals and substances. The Health and Safety Executive released a report in 2012 that found around a third of nasal and paranasal cancers are linked to occupations in which exposure to certain chemicals and substances are more likely, such as:

• Wood Dust – produced through any kind of wood processing environment
• Textile Dust – fibres from certain materials
• Leather Dust – from shoe production to clothing manufacture
• Flour – food production and bakeries
• Nickel – a metal used in the production of stainless steel
• Chromium – while use is now restricted, it is still widely used around the world
• Mustard Gas – a poison used in chemical warfare
• Radium – a radioactive element rarely used these days
• Some Mineral Oils – used in metal work, engineering and printing

Other substances that have been linked to nasal cancer include some types of glue, formaldehyde and some organic solvents.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

HPV is a group of around 100 different but related viruses that get the name Papilloma because a lot of them cause non-cancerous (benign) lumps – sometimes called warts. Some types of HPV can lead to cancers of the cervix, mouth and throat but they are also responsible for around 1 in 5 nasal cancer tumours.

Hereditary Retinoblastoma Treatment

Retinoblastoma is an hereditary type of eye cancer that sometimes develops in children. If it is treated with radiotherapy there is a greater risk of developing nasal cancer later in life than in the general population.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

People who have previously suffered from a disease called Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – a type of cancer of the lymphatic system – also seem to be at a higher risk of developing nasal cancer.

Smoking

Smoking seriously increases the risk of a range of cancers and that includes nasal cancer. The risks increases with the amount you smoke and the amount of years you smoke for.

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