Cancerous nasal polyps

My brother has had nasal polyps for about 4 years. Due to him being a glaucoma risk he couldn’t use the steroid nasal sprays and as a consequence they have continued to grow particularly in his left nostril, being visible at times. Last week he noticed blood when he woke up and it has bled several times since. He saw the gp today who suggested it could be cancerous but wasn’t sure without further treatment. She has referred him to the local hospital and said to get in touch with her if she hears nothing in two weeks. My question is if it is cancer is it contained within the polyp or would it spread in the same way other cancers do and what would be the likely treatment and prognosis for him. He is 53 and has a few other health issues. Obviously you can’t give me specifics but in general what could we be facing?

Many thanks for any information you can give me.

Kind regards 

Catherine

  • Hello and thanks for your post,

    Unfortunately, we can't be very specific. Treatment would generally be surgery to remove it, for most nasal polyps.

    Sometimes other scans/investigations are also done beforehand to get more clinical information. There are different types of cancer cell, and this would be determined by examining the tissue that has been removed under a microscope. Polyps can also be abnormal and overgrow, but still not be cancer, so it is important to keep an open mind at this point. 

    We have information on nasopharyngeal cancer on our website link here, 

    https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/nasopharyngeal-cancer

    I hope that this is helpful, 

    Wishing you the best,

    Vanda