The short answer
A nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer evaluation may include nasal examination or endoscopy, imaging, biopsy, pathology, and staging. The goal is to confirm the exact diagnosis and gather information that changes care.
Evaluation may include nasal examination or endoscopy, imaging, biopsy, pathology, and staging.
Not every person needs every possible test.
Planning may depend on exact site, subtype, nearby structures, lymph nodes, stage, and function.
A specialist review can clarify an uncommon or unexpected diagnosis.
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This page is for people being checked for cancer of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses (the air spaces around the nose). It explains the tests, staging, and what to ask.
What brings it to light
NCI lists these signs: blocked sinuses that do not clear, sinus pressure, headaches or pain in the sinus areas, a runny nose, and nosebleeds. A lump or sore inside the nose that does not heal, a lump on the face or roof of the mouth, numbness or tingling in the face, eye swelling or double vision, pain in the upper teeth, loose teeth or dentures that no longer fit, and ear pain or pressure are also listed. Early on, there may be no signs. Many of these have other causes. Tell your doctor if they last.
The tests that confirm it
Your doctor starts with a physical exam. This means looking into the nose with a small mirror to check for abnormal areas. Nasoscopy uses a scope to look inside the nose. Imaging may include X-rays of the head and neck, CT scans, and MRI. A biopsy removes cells or tissue so a pathologist can check them under a microscope for signs of cancer.
Why staging here is not one-size-fits-all
NCI gives staging systems for cancer of the maxillary sinus and for cancer of the nasal cavity and ethmoid sinus. It says there is no standard staging system for cancer of the sphenoid and frontal sinuses. Ask your team which staging system applies to your specific tumor location. Not every case fits neatly into a numbered stage.
What imaging and biopsy each do
Imaging makes detailed pictures of areas inside the body. A biopsy lets a pathologist look at cells or tissue under a microscope. Ask your team how both will be used to reach your diagnosis.
How long the wait usually takes
Tissue takes time to process. NCI says preparing fixed sections normally takes several days, and that the pathologist typically sends the report to your doctor within 10 days after the biopsy or surgery. Ask your center how long imaging reports take. Ask specifically how findings from CT, MRI, and biopsy will be combined into one final report.
What to ask your team
- What did the biopsy show, and does it match what imaging suggested?
- Which staging system applies to my specific tumor location?
- Has the tumor reached my eye, skull base, or facial nerve?
- Would surgery, radiation, or both be involved, based on the location?
- When will each pending result come back?
Sources
Common questions
What are the early signs?
NCI lists blocked sinuses that do not clear, sinus pressure, headaches or pain in the sinus areas, a runny nose, and nosebleeds. A lump or sore inside the nose that does not heal, a lump on the face or roof of the mouth, numbness or tingling in the face, eye swelling or double vision, pain in the upper teeth, loose teeth or dentures that no longer fit, and ear pain or pressure are also listed. Early on, there may be no signs. These signs can come from other problems too. Tell your doctor if they last.
Which tests confirm it?
NCI describes a physical exam, in which the doctor looks into the nose with a small mirror, and nasoscopy, which looks inside the nose with a scope. Imaging may include X-rays of the head and neck, CT scans and MRI. A biopsy removes cells or tissue so a pathologist can look under a microscope for signs of cancer.
Can a scan alone tell me whether it is cancer?
Imaging makes detailed pictures of the inside of the body. A biopsy is the test in which a pathologist checks cells or tissue under a microscope for signs of cancer. Ask your team how they will use both to reach a diagnosis.
Why is staging different for different sinuses?
NCI gives staging systems for cancer of the maxillary sinus and of the nasal cavity and ethmoid sinus. NCI says there is no standard staging system for cancer of the sphenoid and frontal sinuses. Ask your team which staging system applies to your specific tumor location, because not every case fits neatly into a numbered stage.
How long do the results take?
Tissue takes time to process. NCI says preparing fixed sections normally takes several days, and that the pathologist typically sends the report to your doctor within 10 days after the biopsy or surgery. Ask your own center how long imaging reports take. Ask specifically how findings from CT, MRI and biopsy will be combined into one final report.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Sources last checked: 2026-10-02 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-02Next planned review: 2027-07-22
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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