Types of Nasal Cancer

The Different Types / Stages Of Nasal and Paranasal Cancer

There are two or three main ways that doctors and medical professionals might describe the level of nasal or paranasal cancer that someone is suffering from.

The TNM System

Using this system, T is used to represent the size of the tumour and whether or not it has grown into neighbouring tissues such as muscles, bones or nerves. A T1 nasal tumour would be very small and won’t have spread from the nasal cavity, whereas a T4 nasal tumour would likely have spread into nearby bones, muscles, tissue or even nerves.

The N represents whether or not the cancer has spread into the nearby Lymph Nodes (the glands where white blood cells are contained, used for fighting infection within the Lymphatic System). N0 reflects that the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes, whereas N3 says that it has spread to three lymph nodes and grown.

M is short for Metastatic Cancer – meaning that the cancer has spread to other organs within the body, such as the heart or lungs. M0 means the cancer has not spread, M1 means that it has spread to another organ.

Number Staging

In addition to the TNM system, Nasal and Sinus cancers can be graded by number from 1 to 4. A Stage 1 diagnosis would describe a small tumour that has not spread, whereas a Stage 4 diagnosis would mean that the tumour has spread to nearby tissues, muscles or even lymph nodes and other organs within the body.

When talking about staging, your doctor or medical professional might use the following words to describe the stage of the condition:

Early / Local – a small cancer that has not spread

Locally Advanced – a cancer that has grown into lymph nodes or local tissue

Local Recurrent – a cancer that has returned after treatment

Secondary / Widespread – cancer that has spread into other organs within the body

Grading

When cancer cells are studied under a microscope the images can help doctors grade the cells numerically:

Grade 1 – the cancer cells look quite similar to normal cells and are likely to grow quite slowly

Grade 2 & 3 – the cancer cells begin to look more abnormal and threatening

Grade 4 – the cancer cells look very abnormal and are likely to grow very quickly

As with many cancers, the earlier the condition is noticed and diagnosed, the more likely that treatment will be successful, and this comes down to how the cancer displays it symptoms.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Nasal Cancer claim – either by calling us free on 0800 122 3130, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

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