Nasal cyst malignancy found by MRI: What next?

Posted by rozzenbagger @rozzenbagger, Feb 27, 2023

I had a double ear infections a couple of years ago, thus had to under go an MRI and a cat scan. In the report I received about the infection, that there was liquid in the mastoids, which since then has been healed and done with. However, in the same report, it stated that I also had a malignant nasal cyst. . Because I thought that they would have do a biopsy to find that out, I just ignored it, and took it off my health chart. I did not realize at the time that one can tell if a cyst is malignant or not by using cat scans or MRI. So, I guess my question is, after two years or more, it does not seem to have spread like cancer would have. Does that mean I don't have a malignancy in my cyst in my nasal passage?

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 1, 2023

Hi @rozzenbagger, this sounds like you need to ask more questions of your doctor to rule out possible cancer.

According to this article from the American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/cancer/nasal-cavity-and-paranasal-sinus-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/how-diagnosed.html
"Imaging tests are not used to diagnose nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancers, but they might be done for a number of reasons both before and after a cancer diagnosis, including:
- To help look for a cancer if one is suspected
- To see if a tumor can be safely biopsied without causing a lot of bleeding (see below)
- To learn how far the cancer might have spread (metastasized)
- To see if the cancer can be removed with surgery
- To help determine if treatment is working
- To look for signs that the cancer has come back after treatment (recurred)"

Was a biopsy discussed at the time of the MRI? Did you have a biopsy?

rozzenbagger | @rozzenbagger | Mar 1, 2023

No biopsy, as my med report was about the liquid on my mastoids, causing lose of hearing. In the process of checking out my mastoids with an MRI, they reported that I had a malignant cyst in my right nasal cavity. It has not grown in the past year, which I would have expected it to do, if it truly was a cancer. I researched yesterday about whether or not an MRI or a cat scan could show whether a cyst was malignant or not, and based on what I read, either or both methods of imaging can be quite certain in their predictions. Because since it was discovered over a year ago, I have had no major breathing problems or discomfort from the cyst, thus I believe it to be a false positive reading. I could have a biopsy done inside my nose, but if shown to be malignant, I will not have it removed, undergo radiation and chemo anyway, so I am just letting it go for now, as long as it is not causing me any problems.