2. ā Benign, highly vascular and locally
aggressive tumour of nasopharynx which
occurs exclusively in prepubertal and
adolescent males
ā Accounts for 0.05% of all head and neck
neoplasms
ā Friedberg (1940) : āAngiofibromaā
4. ā¢ Age of onset - second decade (7-19 years )
ā¢ Mean age at diagnosis : 14 years
ā¢ May regress in late teens but may persist into
adulthood
ā¢ Rare after 25 years of age
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5. Site of origin
ā¢ Close proximity to the posterior attachment of
the middle turbinate near the superior border
of sphenopalatine foramen
ā¢ ? from nonchromaffin paraganglionic cells of
the terminal branches of maxillary artery
5
8. Theories Of Origin
ā¢ Hormonal : occurrence in adolescent males
ā¢ Desmoplastic response of the nasopharyngeal
periosteum or embryonic fibrocartilage between the
basiocciput and the basisphenoid
ā¢ Hamartomas testosterone Angiofibroma
ā¢ Nest cells (undifferentiated Epitheloid)
ā¢ Vestiges of atrophied stapedial artery
8
9. ā¢ Hamartoma
ā Benign, focal malformation that resembles a
neoplasm in the tissue of its origin
ā Not a malignant tumor, grows at the same rate as
the surrounding tissues
ā Composed of tissue elements normally found at
that site which are growing in a disorganized mass
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10. Pathophysiology
ā¢ Starts adjacent to the sphenopalatine foramen
ā¢ Large tumors - bilobed or dumbbell shaped :
(one portion of the tumor filling the naso -
pharynx and other portion extending to the
pterygopalatine fossa)
11. Spread
ā¢ Anterior growth
āNasal cavity (filled on one side , septum
deviates to the other side), maxillary sinus
ā¢ Superior growth
āSphenoid sinus, cavernous sinus , pituitary
fossa, optic chaisma , middle cranial fossa
āAnterior skull base ļ Middle cranial fossa
15. ā¢ Other symptoms
ā Unilateral rhinorrhea
ā Anosmia/ hyposmia
ā Rhinolalia clausa
ā Deafness, otalgia
ā Swelling of the palate
ā Deformity of the cheek
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16. Signs
ā¢ Nasal /Nasopharyngeal mass (80%)
ā¢ Orbital mass (15%) , Proptosis (10 -15%)
ā¢ Cheek swelling and trismus (infratemporal fossa
involvement)
ā¢ Frog face deformity
ā¢ Serous otitis media (ET blockage)
ā¢ Cranial nerve involvement (II, III, IV, V VI)
17. Monday, November 20, 2017 17
Characteristic Presentation : Teenage or young adult
male with recurrent epistaxis , nasal mass and nasal
obstruction
18. Investigations
ā¢ Plain x-ray of Nose and PNS
ā Haziness of the sinuses, bone erosion
ā¢ CT scan of Nose and PNS (CECT)
ā Extent / vascularity of tumor
ā Holman Miller sign ( Anterior bowing of posterior
wall of maxillary antrum)
ā Bone erosion / Widening of sphenopalatine
foramen
23. ā¢ Other Investigations
ā CBC, Urine R/E, ESR, Bleeding and Clotting profile
ā ECG
ā X-ray chest
ā Blood group and cross match
Monday, November 20, 2017 23
24. Staging
Stage I: Tumor limited to Nasal cavity or
nasopharynx with no bony destruction
Stage II: Tumor invading pterygopalatine fossa
or PNS
Stage III: Tumor invading infratemporal fossa
/orbit or parasellar region
Stage IV: Tumor invading cavernous sinus/
optic chaisma /pituitary fossa
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25. Differential Diagnosis
ā¢ Other causes of nasal obstruction
ā Antrochoanal polyp, teratoma, encephalocele,
dermoids, inverted papilloma, rhabdomyosarcoma,
squamous cell carcinoma
ā¢ Other causes of epistaxis
ā Systemic or local
ā¢ Other causes of proptosis or orbital swellings
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26. Treatment Options
ā¢ Surgery
ā Gold standard
ā¢ Radiotherapy
ā Reserved for unresectable tumor, intracranial
extension , recurrent cases
ā 3000 ā 3500 cGy in 15 -18# over 3 - 3.5 wks
ā Proton stereotactic radiotherapy
27. ā¢ Chemotherapy
āRecurrent tumors with previous surgery and
radiation
ā¢ Hormone therapy
āTo reduce vascularity before surgery
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