Adenocarcinoma of the ethmoid sinuses. A review of 28 cases with special reference to wood dust exposure.

Adenocarcinoma makes up only a small percent of all nasal and paranasal sinus carcinomas, and is most often found in the ethmoid sinuses. Adenocarcinoma of the ethmoid sinuses is known to be associated with exposure to wood dust. Twenty-eight patients with ethmoid adenocarcinomas were collected, mainly during the last decade from a region with approximately 900,000 inhabitants and with a large amount of furniture industries. There were 4 women and 24 men in the study. Twenty of the men were exposed to dust from hardwood for 20 to 55 years (mean, 40 years) which is in accord with other reports and supports data on the increased risk for workers of developing adenocarcinoma of the ethmoid sinuses when exposed to dust from hardwood. Radiologic diagnosis is necessary to delineate the extent of these tumours, and computerized tomography (CT) especially furnishes important information. Most patients received preoperative radiotherapy followed by surgery, 50% of them survived 5 years, which is in accord with other reports.