Primary adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses

Eight cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity associated with wood dust exposure are reported. The patients include seven men and one woman between the ages of 31 and 81 years. All the patients had a history of wood dust exposure. Carpentry was the occupation in four patients; inspector for railroad boxcars in one; teacher in a wood-work shop in another and worker in a desk factory in the other. The only female patient was a school teacher whose husband had a wood-work shop at home. Clinically, epistaxis and/or nasal obstruction were the most common symptoms. The histology of the tumors varied and consisted of well differentiated adenocarcinoma, clear cell adenocarcinoma, papillary-mucinous adenocarcinoma, and "colonic-type" adenocarcinoma. Follow-up data showed that three patients were alive of whom two had either recurrent or metastatic disease at one and three years following the initial diagnosis, respectively. The third patient was alive and well four years after initial diagnosis. Three other patients died but a direct cause of death was not identified. The remaining two patients were lost to follow-up.