Sinus Cancer And Causes
Posted by Knowledge Guy in Health and Well-Being, tags: Ample Proof, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Cancer Cells, Chronic Irritation, Chronic Sinusitis, Cigarette Smoke, Environmental Protection Agency, Genetic Changes, Health Agencies, Medical, Metal Dust, Mining Industries, Nasal Passage, Nickel Cadmium, Organic Compound, Risk Factor, Scientists, Second Hand Smoke, Sinus Cancer, Sinuses, Types Of Cancer, WealthfareThe cause or causes of sinus cancer are not clear. With other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, there are specific tests for the presence of particluar genes. With these factors, doctors can assess the possibility of the patient getting breast cancer, and assess the risks involved. What we do know is that there are environmental triggers such as cigarette smoke, pollutants and other carcinogens. Sinus cancer is caused by these environmental triggers by chronically irritating the mucosal membrane that forms the surface of the sinus chambers. Chronic irritation may cause the normal cells to undergo genetic changes and mutate into cancer cells, with devastating consequences.
Laborers that work in industries where fine particles of dust are always present, can cause irritation to the sinuses and the nasal packages. These laborers often develop the symptoms of sinusitis and rhinitis (runny nose). In severe cases, chronic sinusitis may result in the formation of tumors of the nasal passage, throat and sinuses. In the same way, people who work in mines are also at risk, especially those working in heavy metal mining industries, such as nickel and cadmium.
Environmental conditions in the early industrial age were much more hazardous, with exposure to metal dust and benzene, a carcinogenic organic compound. Nowadays minimumal working standards help to protect the safety and health of the employee, as governments accept responsibilty for the wealthfare of their work force. However, one major risk factor still remains in our society, and that is, smoking.
Cigarette smoke is the most prevalent carcinogen in society today, and this includes second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoke is a known risk factor for sinus cancer.
The various government’s health agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Surgeon General’s office, published a collaborated report in 2006 which provided ample proof of the necessity to label second-hand smoke as a carcinogen.
Cigarette smoke has about 7,000 chemicals which include known carcinogens, including organic compounds such as, formaldehyde, toluene, and vinyl chloride. Cigarette smoke also has several trace metals such as, polonium and nickel.
The sinuses have a similar anatomy to the inside of the nasal passages. Both help humidify air and are covered with a mucosal layer, and therefore it has been suggested that some of the biological agents that are involved in nasal cancer may also be involved in sinus cancer. Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV) are one such agent that is known to be involved in nasal cancer. It is widely believed in scientifc circles, that it is only matter of time before they prove that HPV can also cause sinus cancer.
The association of HPV infection and cancer of the nasal structures (which include the nasal cavity, the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx) was first reported by scientists at John Hopkins and French scientists working at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon over ten years ago.
With almost 200 types of HPVs known to infect humans, the majority of them are harmless, and only a small number are known to cause cancer. Three types of HPVs, HPV-6, -16, and -69, were discovered in the oral and the nasal cavity of several people with head and neck cancer by scientists from the New Hampshire-based Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. HPV-16 is a known risk factor in genital cancers, and it is believed that this may well increase the risk of nasal cancer and sinus cancer.