Cancer of the nasal cavity.

The experience with 40 consecutive cases of cancer of the nasal cavity seen over a period of 15 years is presented. Males outnumbered females in a ratio or 5 to 3. Age ranged from 35 to 88 years, and the median age was 67 years. Epidermoid carcinoma accounted for 78% of the cases. Smoking from early age was a noticeable habit among these patients. The median length of smoking history was 51 years. Most lesions were diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, 58% of the cases being T3 lesions. Regional lymph nodes metastases were infrequent; only 12% of the patients presented nodes on admission; another 5% developed metastatic nodes during the follow-up period. An overall 5-year survival of 56% was obtained. The survival of cases with T1N0 lesions was 91%. Radiation therapy was the treatment of choice employed in 85% of the cases. A 5-year survival of 50% was obtained in these patients. Irradiation offers an additional means of salvaging recurrences after surgery. The special characteristics of tumors of the nasal cavity merit the evaluation of such lesions separately from tumors of the paranasal sinuses.