Injury to mucous lining of nose as a result of Radiotherapy

Hello, I am raising this issue on behalf of my sister-in-law, who is not IT friendly. She had cancer affecting her nose. After a series of operations taking small areas of tissue, none of which were successful, my sister-in-law was advised that her nose would have to be removed to resolved the issue. She rejected this and after further discussion radiotherapy was carried out, which was successful (at least so far). The problem is that the radiotherapy has damaged the mucous tissue in her nose, resulting in a regularly blocked nose from a build up of mucous (?) and nose bleeds. Various options have been tried, including creams and most recently nasal washes, none of which are entirely successful.  What other options might be available and can Cancer Care suggest consultants who could help further (she is prepared to pay for private consultations). My sister-in-law lives near Cambridge and has been treated at local hospitals under the NHS to date.

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    I am sorry to learn of your sister in laws situation, this must be a difficult time, especially with the side effects of radiotherapy.

    Unfortunately, these types of side effects can be challenging. Your sister-in-law may have done this already, but it would be worth contacting either her cancer specialist or her nurse specialist  (CNS) for advice as they know her situation. 

    I am unsure how long ago your sister-in-law had the therapy, if she had it recently sometimes things can feel worse before they get better and it might be that slowly things will start to settle as time moves on.

    It might also be worth checking with the team at the hospital to see if there is a late effects clinic at her hospital that she could be referred to. Unfortunately, at Cancer Research UK we cannot recommend specific consultants or hospitals. 

    Hopefully, someone else may post on this page their experiences of having this type of radiotherapy, or you may also find it helpful to post on the general pages where more people are likely to read this post than on the Ask the Nurses page.

    I hope this helps a little. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Take care,

    Jemma