Adenocarcinoma of Nasal and Paranasal Cavities

Abstract

Adenocarcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses, although of uncommon occurrence, is sufficiently distinctive to merit separation from other so-called glandular carcinomas of the area. Clinicopathological data on nine patients with adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal region are presented. The neoplasm has a predilection for site of origin in the ethmoid sinuses and, based upon histopathological and gross features, may be subdivided into three types: papillary, sessile, and mucoid. The papillary variant may have a better prognosis, as indicated by two patients in this study. The usual course of the disease is an indolent and relentlessly progressive one, with death usually within a five-year period after diagnosis. Metastases are distinctly uncommon, and death is effected through local extension. Results of treatment, irrespective of type, are uniformly poor and may be correlated with the advanced state of the disease at the time of treatment.