Tumours of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are uncommon in dogs, about 1% to 2% of all canine tumours, but they are the cause behind many cases of chronic one-sided nasal discharge and nosebleeds in older dogs. Almost all are malignant. They grow slowly, destroy bone locally and spread late, so the dog usually dies of local disease, and radiation therapy is the treatment that changes survival.
Key facts
Nasal tumors at a glance- Species and system: dogs (about twice as often as cats); nasal cavity and frontal sinuses.
- Typical patient: older (mean 9.5 to 10 years), medium or large, long- or medium-nosed dog; males more often than females (Merck; Moores and Walker 2013).
- Types: carcinomas, about 60% to two-thirds (adenocarcinoma most common), then sarcomas (chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, undifferentiated).
- Classic presentation: weeks to months of unilateral discharge that becomes bloody, sneezing, reduced airflow, then facial deformity, exophthalmos or seizures.
- Behaviour: locally invasive; regional lymph node metastasis in about 6% at diagnosis (Elliot and Mayer 2009).
- Diagnosis: CT for extent and stage, then biopsy for histopathology.
- Treatment of choice: radiation therapy; surgery alone does not improve survival.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 19 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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