Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2020 Apr;63(4):172-175. 10.3342/kjorl-hns.2019.00108.

Incidental Finding of Squamous Cell CarcinomaAccompanying a Fungal Ball in the Maxillary Sinus

• Lee HJ
• Kim JS
• Heo SJ

• KMID: 2500396
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/kjorl-hns.2019.00108

Abstract

Malignant tumors rarely occur in the paranasal sinuses. Paranasal tumors, when they occur, exhibit atypical symptoms, such as nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, facial pain, and nasal bleeding. Because of nonspecific symptoms commonly observed in the sinusitis and their infrequent occurrence, malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses are generally diagnosed late. If there is bone destruction or invasion of the surrounding tissues in the imaging studies, malignant tumors could be suspected; however, without such findings, it is difficult to predict the existence of cancer. It is more difficult to suspect malignant tumors when they coexist with sinus diseases. In addition, since the concomitant presence of fungal balls and cancer is extremely rare, it is difficult to suspect the presence of cancer when treating fungal balls. We report a case of a fungal ball accompanied by squamous cell carcinoma without any sign of malignancy, such as bone destruction, which has not been reported in the English literature to date.

Keyword

Fungi; Maxillary sinus; Mycoses; Nose; Squamous cell carcinoma