Lesions of Nasal Cavity, Paranasal Sinuses and Nasopharynx – An Analysis over 3 Years at a Tertiary Care Setting

Abstract

Lesions involving nasal cavity (NC), paranasal sinuses (PNS) and nasopharynx consist of a wide variety of inflammatory, non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Even though they are common in Sri Lanka, proper data are scarce. The study aims to determine various histopathological patterns of NC, PNS and nasopharyngeal lesions and their demography with regard to age and sex. A retrospective analytical study was carried out in all patients who underwent biopsies of the above lesions presented to ENT unit at NHSL from 1.1.2015 to 31.12.2017. From 238 patients, the commonest site was the NC (51.06%) followed by PNS (43.9%). Male to female ratio was 1.38:1. 79.6% were nonneoplastic, from which 88.9% were inflammatory and 7.3% were fungal, where mucomycosis and rhinosporidiosis being the commonest. Out of the neoplastic conditions (20.4%), 54.1% were benign, with inverted papilloma being the commonest (42.3%), commonly seen in 6th and 7th decades with a male predominance, followed by angiofibroma(15.3%). Squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest malignancy (40.9%), common in 7th and 8th decades with a male predominance, followed by adenocarcinoma (18.18%), adenoid cystic carcinoma (9%) and non- Hodgkin’s B cell lymphoma (9%). Internationally, benign and malignant neoplasms are more common in 4-5th decades and 5-6th decades respectively. But in our study both benign and malignant neoplasms were found approximately two decades later in life. This may be either due to late presentation. Hence we recommend a thorough ENT examination at the earliest presentation. Further multicentre studies are needed.