Diagnosis of Nose Cancer

How Is Nose Cancer Diagnosed?

There are a variety of methods used when it comes to diagnosing cancer of the nose.

The first questions asked by any doctor will involve your general health, your levels of activity, whether or not you smoke, and what kind of work you do, or have have carried out in the past, and any history of illnesses. They’ll likely do a range of general tests such as blood pressure, heart-rate, and they are likely to make a physical examination of the body.

If the doctor or patient is concerned about the symptoms they might be presenting then it is likely that the doctor will perform a physical examination of the nose, face and neck. They might use a small but long-handled mirror to inspect inside the nose, looking for any abnormal signs, lumps or irregularities. They will probably check the patient’s lymph nodes to discover any signs of swelling or lumps.

One of the most important aspects in diagnosing nose cancer and whether it might be related to your employment is establishing whether or not you have been exposed to certain dusts, chemicals or fumes as a part of your employment. If you work or have worked in a profession in which there is a risk of exposure, the doctor will need to know about it so that he or she can investigate appropriately.

Other ways of diagnosing the disease include:

X-rays

Head and neck X-rays can be invaluable when looking for cancer as they can show if the sinuses contain fluids – they should be filled with air. While they do not show the tumours themselves, they can assist in discovering other elements that might suggest a cancerous tumour has developed. In some cases a chest X-ray might also be used to see if the cancer has spread into the lungs. 

CT (Computerised Tomography) Scans

A CT scan uses X-rays as well, but in this case the images are combined to give 3-dimensional cross-section images that can be very useful in identifying nose cancer. CT scans can see far more detail than traditional X-rays and can help to identify if a cancerous tumour has affected any bones that it might have grown near to.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scans

Using a combination of radio waves and strong magnets, MRI scans can be very helpful when looking for cancer in the nose or sinuses. They give a more detailed picture and can often identify if something is fluid, or a tumour, and they can also show whether or not a tumour has spread into nearby soft tissue such as the eyeball, brain or blood vessels. 

PET (Positive Emission Tomography) Scans

This type of scan involves injecting the patient with a radioactive sugar. Cancer cells use more glucose than normal cells and so they absorb the radioactive sugar more quickly,  and areas where the sugar collects can be seen on this type of scan. 

Biopsy

This involves the doctor removing a small piece of tissue from the patient and inspecting it with a microscope. If cancer is discovered, further laboratory testing can identify what kind of cancer it is and how aggressive it might be. Some biopsies can be done at the doctor’s clinic or office, but if the suspected tumour is in a more difficult location within the body, then the biopsy may be performed in hospital under anaesthetic. There are several main types of biopsy that may be used:

• Fine Needle Aspiration – using a thin, hollow needle to remove fluid from a tumour or lymph node
• Incisional and excision biopsies – where a small piece of the tumour or even the whole tumour is removed and sent to a laboratory for testing
• Endoscopic biopsy – an endoscope is a thin, flexible, lighted tube through which surgical tools can be passed to reach deep into the nasal passages

Open biopsy – in some cases doctors will have to cut through the skin next to the nose and through the underlying bones to reach a potential tumour for biopsy.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Nose 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 choosing to discuss your situation. When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

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