Reoccurring epistaxis-overlooked tumor?

Abstract

Epistaxis is bleeding from the nasal cavity and/or nasopharynx. It is classified as anterior, which accounts for 90% of bleeding, and posterior, in the rest 10% with a more severe clinical picture. Apart from environmental factors and anticoagulant medications, epistaxis can be caused by nasal and paranasal tumors. In case of reoccurring epistaxis, nasal congestion, swelling and numbness of the face, ulceration on the skin, growths in the nose or unilateral headaches should be suspected of tumor formations. In this paper, a case of a 70-year-old male patient is presented, who came to the otorhinolaryngology clinic because of reoccurring nosebleeds and a month long feeling of nasal congestion. After the initial treatment of the epistaxis, further processing revealed an expansive soft tissue formation in the right middle and lower nasal passages. The patient is referred for surgery, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma is diagnosed based on the pathohistological findings.