Imaging of lumps and bumps in the nose: a review of sinonasal tumours

Sinonasal disease is one of the most common clinical head and neck pathologies. The majority of sinonasal pathology is inflammatory with neoplasms comprising approximately 3% of all head and neck tumours. Although sinus tumours are rare, they portend a poor prognosis, often due to advanced disease at diagnosis. Like most neoplasms, early detection improves prognosis, therefore clinicians and radiologists should be aware of features separating tumours from inflammatory sinus disease. This article reviews the anatomy, clinical features, imaging findings, treatment and histopathology of selected sinonasal tumours. Benign neoplasms reviewed include osteoma, inverting papilloma, and juvenile nasal angiofibroma. Malignant neoplasms reviewed include squamous cell carcinoma, the minor salivary gland tumour, adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, melanoma, lymphoma, and olfactory neuroblastoma (esthesioneuroblastoma).