Nasal Cavity Hyperplastic and Neoplastic - Pathology

Nasal cavity carcinoma (Image sourced from Bristol Biomed Image Archive with permission)

Nasal neoplasia in general

• Majority are malignant, locally invasive but do not metastasise
• Usually pale, soft, fleshy or friable
• May be osteoma or osteosarcoma, chondroma or chondrosarcoma, fibroma or fibrosarcoma, myxoma or myxosarcoma, haemangioma or haemangiosarcoma, adenoma or adenocarcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma

• In cats they arise mainly from nasal vestibule
• In horses they originate mainly from maxillary sinus
• Most common nasal tumour
  • Serosanquineous or mucopurulent, odourous nasal discharge
• Tissue necrosis
• May cause airway obstruction or facial distortion

Olfactory neuroblastoma

• Rare, mainly occurs in cats
• Arises from ethmoturbinates in caudal region of nasal cavity
• May penetrate cribriform plate into cerebral cortex

Ethmoturbinate tumours (papillomas and adenocarcinomas)

• In horses and other species
• Multiple species may be affected on one premises
• Arising from olfactory cells are endemic in some parts of the world for unknown reason
• May be caused by a virus?

Progressive ethmoidal haematoma

• Slowly expanding non-neoplastic mass of horses
• Originates from submucosa of ethmoidal labyrinth
• Either from nasal or sinusal portion of ethmoid labyrinth
• Unilateral, can extend to nostrils or choanae
• Rarely elsewhere in sinuses
• Expands to nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, nasopharynx causing destruction of tissue
• Micro - haemorrhage, calcification of connective tissue fibres
• Aspergillus spp. may be present on the lesion
• May cause epistaxis
• Can recur after surgical excision
• May arise subsequently to chronic inflammation

Nasal polyps

• Polypoid thickening of the inflamed nasal musosa, hyperplastic epithelium
• Pinkish, often pedunculated masses, round, often large and multiple proturberences into the nasal meatus
• Can arise subsequently to chronic inflammation
• Old polyps may becoma fibrous
• May recur when excised
• Necessary to distinguish from neoplasia
• Common in cats, less often in dogs, also horses and sheep
• Also see Progressive haematoma of horses and Nasopharyngeal polyps of cats

Nasal and paranasal sinus cysts

• Mimic infection or neoplasms
• Expand and destroy surrounding tissue
• Epithelial capsule with haemorrhagic or yellow fluid
• Do not tend to recur after surgery

Test yourself with the Nasal Cavity Pathology Flashcards

Nasal Cavity Pathology Flashcards