Survival Rates for Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancers

Survival rates are a way to measure how many people survive a certain type of cancer over time. They cannot tell you exactly what will happen with any one person, but they might help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that treatment will be successful.

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?

A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of cancer to people in the overall population.

For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of nasal cavity (nose) or paranasal sinus cancer is 80%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 80% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.

Where do these survival rate numbers come from?

The American Cancer Society relies on information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer in the United States based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, does not group cancers by AJCC TNM stages (stages I to IV). Instead, it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages:

• Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the nasal cavity (or paranasal sinus).
• Regional: The cancer has spread outside the nasal cavity (or paranasal sinus) to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
• Distant: The cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs.

5-year relative survival rates for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers

These numbers are based on people diagnosed with cancers of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinus between 2015 and 2021.

SEER stage	5-year relative survival rate
Localized	87%
Regional	56%
Distant	43%
All SEER stages combined	61%

 

Understanding the numbers

These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They do not apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.

These numbers don’t take everything into account, and each person is different. Survival rates are grouped based on how far the cancer has spread. But other factors, such as your age and overall health, the type of nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer you have, and how well the cancer responds to treatment, can also affect your outlook.

People now being diagnosed with nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer might have a better outlook than these numbers show. Treatments have improved over time, and these numbers are based on people who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years earlier.

Keep in mind that survival rates are estimates, and they can’t predict what will happen in any person’s case. These statistics can be confusing and might lead you to have more questions. Ask your doctor how these numbers might apply to you.