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Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI]
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Stage I Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
Treatment of stage I paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer depends on where cancer is found in the paranasal sinuses and nasalcavity:
- If cancer is in the maxillary sinus, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
- If cancer is in the ethmoid sinus, treatment is usually radiation therapy and/or surgery.
- If cancer is in the sphenoid sinus, treatment is the same as for nasopharyngeal cancer, usually radiation therapy. (See the PDQ summary on Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment for more information.)
- If cancer is in the nasal cavity, treatment is usually surgery and/or radiation therapy.
- If cancer is in the nasal vestibule, treatment is usually surgery or radiation therapy.
- For inverting papilloma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
- For melanoma and sarcoma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
- For midline granuloma, treatment is usually radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage I paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage II Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
Treatment of stage II paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer depends on where cancer is found in the paranasal sinuses and nasalcavity:
- If cancer is in the maxillary sinus, treatment is usually high-dose radiationtherapy before or after surgery.
- If cancer is in the ethmoid sinus, treatment is usually radiation therapy and/or surgery.
- If cancer is in the sphenoid sinus, treatment is the same as for nasopharyngeal cancer, usually radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. (See the PDQ summary on Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment for more information.)
- If cancer is in the nasal cavity, treatment is usually surgery and/or radiation therapy.
- If cancer is in the nasal vestibule, treatment is usually surgery or radiation therapy.
- For inverting papilloma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
- For melanoma and sarcoma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
- For midline granuloma, treatment is usually radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage II paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage III Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
Treatment of stage III paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer depends on where cancer is found in the paranasal sinuses and nasalcavity.
If cancer is in the maxillary sinus, treatment may include the following:
- High-dose radiationtherapy before or after surgery.
- A clinical trial of fractionated radiation therapy before or after surgery.
If cancer is in the ethmoid sinus, treatment may include the following:
- Surgery followed by radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
If cancer is in the sphenoid sinus, treatment is the same as for nasopharyngeal cancer, usually radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. (See the PDQ summary on Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment for more information.)
If cancer is in the nasal cavity, treatment may include the following:
- Surgery and/or radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
For inverting papilloma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
For melanoma and sarcoma, treatment may include the following:
- Surgery.
- Radiation therapy.
- Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
For midline granuloma, treatment is usually radiation therapy.
If cancer is in the nasal vestibule, treatment may include the following:
- External radiation therapy and/or internal radiation therapy with or without surgery.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of combination chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage III paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage IV Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
Treatment of stage IV paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer depends on where cancer is found in the paranasal sinuses and nasalcavity.
If cancer is in the maxillary sinus, treatment may include the following:
- High-dose radiationtherapy with or without surgery.
- A clinical trial of fractionated radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
If cancer is in the ethmoid sinus, treatment may include the following:
- Radiation therapy before or after surgery.
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
If cancer is in the sphenoid sinus, treatment is the same as for nasopharyngeal cancer, usually radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. (See the PDQ summary on Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment for more information.)
If cancer is in the nasal cavity, treatment may include the following:
- Surgery and/or radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
For inverting papilloma, treatment is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
For melanoma and sarcoma, treatment may include the following:
- Surgery.
- Radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy.
For midline granuloma, treatment is usually radiation therapy.
If cancer is in the nasal vestibule, treatment may include the following:
- External radiation therapy and/or internal radiation therapy with or without surgery.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy after surgery or other cancer treatment.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage IV paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2011-02-04
If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.
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