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After Treatment for Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancers
For some people with nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer, treatment can remove or destroy the cancer. You might be relieved to finish treatment, but it can be hard not to worry about cancer coming back. This is very common if you’ve had cancer.
For other people, the cancer might never go away completely. Some people might still get regular treatments to try to control the cancer for as long as possible. Learning to live with cancer that does not go away can be difficult, but many people find ways to manage their health and maintain a good quality of life.
No matter what your situation is, there are steps you can take to live well, both physically and emotionally.
Follow-up care
People with cancer of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses are at risk for the cancer coming back (recurrence), so they must be watched closely after treatment.
Talk with your doctor about developing a survivorship care plan for you. This plan can guide your next steps after treatment, including follow-up appointments and ways to stay healthy.
What’s usually in a survivorship care plan
A survivorship care plan might include:
- A suggested schedule for follow-up exams and tests
- A timeline for other tests, such as screening for other cancers or monitoring for long-term health effects from your cancer or its treatment
- A list of possible late or long-term side effects, including what to watch for and when you should contact your doctor
- Diet and physical activity suggestions
- Reminders to keep seeing your primary care provider (PCP) for regular health care and cancer screening tests.
Typical follow-up schedules
If you have completed treatment, you will probably have follow-up visits with your doctor for many years. It's very important to go to all your follow-up appointments with your doctor. During these visits, your doctors will ask if you are having any problems and might do exams, lab tests, or imaging tests to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects.
If there are no signs of cancer, many doctors will recommend you have a physical exam, endoscopy, and some of the other tests listed below every few months for the first couple of years after treatment, then less often in the following years. People who were treated for early-stage cancers might have doctor visits less often.
Managing side effects
Some cancer treatment side effects might last a long time or might not even show up until years after you have finished treatment. Your doctor visits are a good time to ask questions and talk about any changes or problems you notice or concerns you have.
Don’t hesitate to report any new problems to your doctor right away. This might help your doctor find recurrent cancer as early as possible, when the cancer is small and treatment is more likely to be successful.
Questions to ask your care team
- What type of follow-up will I need after treatment?
- How often will I need to have follow-up exams and imaging tests?
- Will I need any blood tests?
- Should I follow a special diet after treatment?
- Will I need to see a specialist to evaluate how I speak and swallow?
- Are there any limits on what I can do?
- What symptoms should I watch for?
- How will we know if the cancer has come back? What should I watch for?
- What will my options be if the cancer comes back?
Staying prepared and organized
Even if you’ve completed treatment, it’s still important to be organized and stay on top of your health. Keeping your records and health insurance coverage in order makes it easier to manage follow-up care, future checkups, and any new concerns that might come up.
Keep your health insurance
It’s very important to keep as a survivor of nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer. It can help cover the cost of follow-up visits, tests, and any care you might need in the future. No one wants to think about cancer coming back, but it’s best to be prepared.
Save your medical records
At some point, you might see a new doctor who doesn’t know your cancer history. Keep copies of your medical records or have access to them so you can easily share the details of your diagnosis and treatment when needed.
Can I lower my risk of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer progressing or coming back?
If you have or have had nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer, you can take steps to help lower your risk of the cancer coming back or progressing.
Quit smoking
If you smoke, quitting smoking for good is the best way to improve your chances for survival.
Smoking during cancer treatment can reduce the benefit of treatment and increase the risk of cancer coming back. Smoking after treatment can also increase the risk of getting a new smoking-related cancer.
It is never too late to quit. If you need help quitting smoking, talk to your doctor or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
Adopt other healthy behaviors
Adopting behaviors such as eating healthy food, getting regular physical activity, and staying at a healthy weight might help, but no one knows for sure. However, we do know that these types of lifestyle changes can have positive effects on your health that can extend beyond your risk of cancer.
About dietary supplements
So far, no dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products, have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer progressing or coming back. This doesn’t mean that no supplements will help, but it’s important to know that none have been proven to do so.
Dietary supplements are not regulated like medicines in the United States. They do not have to be proven effective or even safe before being sold, although there are limits on what they’re allowed to claim they can do.
If you’re thinking about taking any type of nutritional supplement, talk to your health care team. They can help you decide which ones you can use safely while avoiding those that might be harmful.
If the cancer comes back
If the cancer does recur, your treatment options will depend on the location of the cancer, what treatments you’ve had before, and your overall health and preferences. To learn more, see Treating Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancers.
For more general information, you might also want to see What Is Cancer Recurrence?
Second cancers after treatment
People who’ve had nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer can still get other cancers. In fact, nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer survivors are at higher risk for getting some other types of cancer. This is called a second cancer.
Survivors of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer can get any second cancer, but they have a higher risk of:
Most of these cancers are linked to smoking and chewing tobacco.
Follow cancer screening guidelines
Like other people, cancer survivors should follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer, such as those for colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer. Screening tests can find some cancers early, when they are likely to be treated more successfully.
Getting emotional support
It’s normal to feel depressed, anxious, or worried when cancer is a part of your life. Some people are affected more than others. But everyone can benefit from help and support from other people, whether friends and family, religious groups, support groups, professional counselors, or others. Learn more in Life After Cancer.
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
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Last Revised: February 27, 2026
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