Health

Can cancers be prevented?

Dear Dr Williams-Green,

I read your articles in The Gleaner every week and find them very informative. My husband died from cancer of the sinuses three years ago. This is after being treated for sinusitis for many years. He was misdiagnosed and prescribed various forms of sinus medication by several doctors.

He had no typical sinusitis symptoms - no cold, no drainage - just a constant pain in his face and occasional sneezing. A bout of bleeding and a small polyp from the affected nostril prompted the decision to have him see an ENT specialist who did the initial diagnosis confirmed by X-ray and biopsy. By the time this was confirmed, it was far gone. No surgery could have been done. He was given a maximum of eight weeks of radiotherapy to ease his pain. He died five months after diagnosis. By this time, half of his face was invaded by this terrible illness. How common is this type of cancer? Never heard of it before his diagnosis.

- Phylis

Response to reader:

Hi Phylis,

I am so sorry about the loss you suffered when your husband died from cancer of the naso-pharynx. You are correct; this is an uncommon cancer, often missed until it is far advanced. It tends to affect men twice as much as women. Persons who smoke, who are exposed to formaldehyde and suffer from an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus are at risk for this cancer. Persons who originated from the Cantonese people of the Guangdong Province of Southern China and Hong Kong are at increased risk for this cancer. These persons eat a type of fermented, salted fish which may cause the cancer process.

Best wishes to you.

Dr Pauline Williams-Green

Send questions and comments to our health specialists at Your Health, c/o The Gleaner, 7 North Street, Kingston; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com. Unless otherwise indicated, letters and the specialists' responses are usually published.