Beyond the Norm: Rare Benign Tumors of the Sinonasal Tract and Pharynx - Case Reports and Literature Summary

The present chapter presents an array of interesting cases of rare benign tumors localized in the pharynx, nasal and sinus cavities. The case presentations are followed by comprehensive reviews of literature and historical references for each type of tumor.

Unilateral nasal hemangioma in a 72-year-old male which, although not a rare pathology, raises in this case unusual problems due to the most unexpected self-resection of the tumor. The surgeon was able to pull it out with ease, without any bleeding but it is entirely possible that the mass would have, eventually, simply fallen out.

Pilomatrixoma is a relatively uncommon ectodermal benign tumor of the skin, derived from the hair matrix cells. Surgical resection is curative, but a recurrence is possible (up to 5%). The presented case is of a 26-year-old woman with a pilomatrixoma of the left cheek who, for esthetic reasons, refused a classical external approach. This creates an interesting premise for the presentation. A trans-oral resection was performed, which proved feasible but rather laborious and prone to recurrence risk.

Inverted Schneiderian papilloma is a fairly rare benign tumor of the nasal and sinus cavities with an increased potential for invasion, recurrence and malignant transformation. The tumor represents approximately 0.5-4% of all nasal tumors and has been described under different names such as villiform cancer, cylindrical / transitional papilloma etc. We report a rare case of bilateral papilloma in a 68-year-old man.