Your symptoms are more likely to be the result of chronic nasal and/or sinus inflammation than cancer, although it is impossible for any physician to definitively answer this question without personally examining you. Most of the time, the symptoms that you describe arise from a chronic allergic response to an environmental allergen such as pollen, smoke, mold, or dust mites, etc. Occasionally, the openings that drain the sinuses into the nasal cavities can become swollen shut, and an infection (sinusitis) can results. Patients with sinusitis often describe pressure or pain in the central face region, or in the forehead area, and they may have purulent green or yellow drainage from their nose or from the back of their throat. (Sometimes, a CT scan of the face & skull may be necessary to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of sinusitis, or other more worrisome conditions.)

Cancers of the lymph nodes (lymphoma) do occur, and most commonly manifest as painless enlargements of the lymph nodes. Other cancers of the head and neck can also occur, and are usually associated with a mass within the oral cavity, nasal cavity, or throat. Rarely, cancers involving the nasal cavity or sinuses can be present with symptoms similar to chronic sinus infection.

Once again, my comments are intended to provide you with a general overview, and are not a substitute for a complete clinical examination by your personal physician(s). If your symptoms persist despite adequate treatment for presumed allergic rhinitis or sinusitis, then I recommend that you consult with a qualified ENT surgeon for further evaluation.

Sincerely,


Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS