Cancer of the Nasal and Paranasal Sinuses in Dogs

 Nasosinal Tumors

Description – Tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses consist of 1% of all canine neoplasms. The intranasal lesions mostly manifest themselves as adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma. The remaining, however, comprise fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma. Among them carcinomas and sarcomas are the most aggressive. At the time of diagnosis the rate of metastasis is usually low but at the time of death it is around 40% to 50%. The common metastatic sites are the regional lymph nodes and the lungs whereas the less common sites include the bones, kidneys, liver, skin and brain.

 Benign tumors like polyps and fibromas too have been found.

The average age of dogs with nasosinal tumors is 10 years. A predilection has been reported among medium and large breeds. 


Nasal Adenocarcinoma in Dogs

Nose cancer (or nasal adenocarcinoma) occurs when too many cells in the animal's nasal and sinus passages come together. The disease progresses slowly and occurs both in dogs and cats. Studies have shown nose cancer is more common in larger animal breeds than in smaller ones, and it may be more common in males than females. Options exist when the disease is caught early and aggressively treated.


Chondrosarcoma of the Nasal and Paranasal Sinuses in Dogs

A chondrosarcoma (CSA) is the second most common primary tumor in dogs, accounting for ten percent of all primary bone tumors. This is a malignant, invasive and fast spreading tumor in dogs. A CSA of the nasal and paranasal sinuses arises from the mesenchymal tissue, a connective collagenous tissue that is found throughout the body, and metastasizes to other parts of the body, including the nasal bones. It usually occurs on one side of the nasal cavity and extends to the other side over time.


Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Dogs

Both the inside of the nose and the paranasal sinuses are covered in the same type of tissue, called the epithelium. The outer layer of this tissue is scale like, and is called the squamous epithelium. Tumors that grow from this squamous epithelium are called squamous cell carcinomas.

Squamous cell carcinomas are the second most common type of nasal tumor that dogs get. They usually grow slowly over several months. Most commonly, they occur on both sides of the nose, and it is common for this kind of cancer to spread to the bone and tissue near it. In some cases, this type of nasal tumor will spread to the brain, causing seizures. Squamous cell carcinomas in the nose and sinuses are usually seen in dogs over nine years old, but they have been seen in dogs as young as three years old.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will need a complete background medical history leading up to your dog's disease symptoms. Routine blood tests include a complete blood count, biochemistry profile, urinalysis and platelet count. The results may show normal levels. Your veterinarian will also examine the blood samples for evidence of fungal or bacterial infections. Aspergillus is sometimes found in dogs with nasal tumors.

Radiographic studies can be helpful in confirming the diagnosis, but even this type of diagnostic method is challenging. Computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will often produce a more substantial image of the extent of invasion. An endoscope -- a tubular device with an attached camera that allows for a closer look at the diseased area -- can also be used examine the internal structure of the nasal canal, and may also be used to collect tissue specimens for biopsy, but because of the small space, this can be difficult. Other methods for collecting tissue and fluid samples may be employed, including fine needle aspiration, and suction. Biopsy is the only way to conclusively diagnose nasal cancer.

Your veterinarian may also take radiographs of other areas of the body to evaluate if metastasis is taking place.



Causes – The etiology of nasosinal tumors is largely unknown but some reports suggest that animals living in urban areas are at an increased risk. This is primarily due to the nasal filtering of pollutants. Exposure to passive smoking and fossil fuel combustion products like those produced by coal or kerosene heaters may accentuate the risk of this type of cancer.

Symptoms – Some of the most common clinical signs may include epistaxis (bloody nasal discharge), mucopurulent discharge (nasal discharge containing mucous and pus), facial deformity from bone erosion and subcutaneous extension of the tumor, sneezing, dyspnea (shortness of breath) or stertorous breathing (harsh noisy breathing), exophthalmus (abnormal protrusion of the eye) and ocular discharge due to obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct (carries tears from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity).

On rare occasions animals with large tumors involving the caudal region of the nasal cavity may have neurological signs including seizures, behavioral changes, paresis (partial loss of movement), circling and obtundation (dog that does not have full mental capacity).



Treatment – By the time nasal carcinoma is detected, the disease has already become highly infiltrative. The degenerative nature of the disease and its critical location of the tumor near the brain and eyes renders it non-amenable to treatment and makes surgery impossible.  So, radiation therapy using high-energy mega voltage equipment is the only conventional treatment of choice for nasosinal tumors. It covers the entire nasal cavity, including, bone.

However, radiation has many disadvantages. The side effects of irradiation vary with protocols. Acute toxicities that result from irradiation include oral mucositis (inflammation and ulceration of the mouth), rhinitis (running nose), desquamation (shedding of the outer layers of the skin) and keratoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva) and blepharitis (ocular disease characterized by inflammation of the eyelid margins).

This state of affairs continue for 2-8 weeks after therapy for which oral antibiotics and pain medications are prescribed. However, if oral mucositis, attains severe proportions, esophagostomy (surgical opening into the esophagus) and gastrostomy (surgical opening into the stomach) tube feedings may be needed in the short term.

Sometimes the side effects of radiation may set in late. But they can be even more dangerous than the acute ones. These may include cataracts (cloud that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye), keratitis (condition in which the cornea of the eye becomes inflamed), atrophy (wasting away of the part of the body), keratoconjunctivitis, anterior uvea, hemorrhage, degeneration, brain necrosis (brain death), seizures, optic nerve degeneration, osteonecrosis (bone collapse) and fibrosis (development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ). Some complications develop late after therapy and are generally non-treatable.

Prognosis – Without treatment the prognosis for nasal carcinoma is approximately 3 months. The median survival time of dogs with epistaxis is 88 days whereas those without epistaxis is 224 days. The median survival time after surgery is 3-6 months. The median survival time with high voltage irradiation is 8-19.7 months.


Lucy received no radiation nor chemotherapy. She only received the Tippner Cancer Protocol. She is now past 3 years since diagnosis by biopsy of nasal adenocarcinoma and has virtually no symptoms.







Lucy never did radiation or chemo, she only did the Tippner Protocol. The Tippner Cancer Protocol combines immunotherapy and molecular cancer therapy using off the shelf readily available inexpensive natural substances. She is past 3 years after diagnosis by biopsy

I buy most of the stuff from Swanson Vitamins. They are cheaper, in capsules for dosage changes, and carry almost everything I give to Lucy except for the Chinese Herbs Stasis Breaker prescription, and the Low Dose Naltrexone prescription. Here is a $5 off coupon link I found

What is Remission from Cancer?

People often ask me how I know if Lucy is in remission.

Here is one definition:

"Complete remission means that there are no symptoms and no clinical signs that can be identified to indicate the presence of cancer. However, even when a person is in remission, there may be microscopic collections of cancer cells that cannot be identified by current techniques. This means that even if a person is in remission, they may, at some future time, experience a recurrence of their cancer."

There is also partial remission. This usually means some mild chronic symptoms my still occur, but symptoms are better than they were quite a bit, and disease does not appear to be progressing.

My definition: Lucy no longer has symptoms and no clinical signs that can be readlily identified to indicate the presence of nasal cancer at this time the entry was dated. Remission occured appx 22 months ago.

Budwig Diet Plan for Dog Nasal Cancer or any cancer really

The Budwig Diet Plan and Cancer  

This protocol was created by Dr. Johanna Budwig, a bio-chemist, Nobel prize nominee and health practitioner who worked with patients in Germany between 1952 and 2002. During that time, people from all over the world who were suffering from various kinds of cancer, many of them terminal, met with this brilliant woman. She started them on her diet and general protocol and within three or four months, most regained their health.


Doctors who told cancer patients they had to have chemo, radiation or surgery, or told them nothing more could be done for them, giving them only weeks to live, retested them and declared them cancer-free, wrote Dr. Budwig. She claimed her success rate with cancer patients was over 90%.


Cancer epidemiologist John D. Potter of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center said, "We're discovering a plethora of bioactive substances in plant foods."..."These compounds seem to interact with every step in the cancer process, mostly slowing, stopping, or reversing them..." Yes, he said that the substances in plant foods can stop or reverse cancer.
One of the keys in the Budwig diet is consuming foods that offer nutrients that help cells absorb oxygen. Dr. Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize in 1931 for discovering that when cells can no longer absorb oxygen, cancer can develop. Dr. Budwig built on that knowledge and was the first to develop a diet and protocol that restores cells to normal functioning.
At the heart of the Budwig diet is organic, cold pressed, liquid flax seed oil blended with cottage cheese or “quark.” Dr. Budwig discovered that when these two foods are blended together, the sulfurated protein components in the cheese, such as cysteine, bond with the oil, making it more water soluble and easier to digest and metabolize. Consequently, more of the essential fatty acids and electrons in the highly unsaturated flax seed oil reach the cells and have a healing effect on the cell membrane where carcinogens attach themselves. The membrane of each cell is made up of lipids. Flax seed oil can improve this important outer cell lining that is crucial to cell function and division.


Her plan eliminates damaging fats and foods from the diet and replaces them with healing foods and life-saving essential fatty acids. Along with diet, she emphasized the benefits of sunlight and stress reduction. Dr. Budwig had over a 90% success rate with this protocol with all kinds of cancer patients over a 50 year period.  She worked with humans but she herself recommended using the flax oil and cottage cheese for dogs with cancer.  Obviously, her overall diet plan of fresh fruits and veggies is intended for her human patients—our pets can stick with carb free, grain free diets, foods as close to organic as possible and the FLAX OIL/cottage cheese mix once a day.


A main component of the Budwig Protocol is flaxseed oil Dr. Budwig discovered that FLAX OIL supplies the omega-3 and omega-6 oils that are deficient in cancer patients so the cell membrane can aid normal cell replication and attract oxygen to the cell. EFAs are also converted by the body into prostaglandins which regulate kidney function, inflammation response, immune function, keep blood vessels elastic, regulate blood pressure, influence platelet stickiness and properly metabolize cholesterol. A dog’s body can only absorb a limited amount of oil so the instructions below are important for binding the oil to a sulfur protein to allow the resulting water-soluble oil to be absorbed in greater quantities.


Omega 3 fatty acids, soften the cell membranes allowing penetration of supplements and oxygen, making the inner cell less hospitable to cancer. The Budwig protocol should be used in conjunction with Artemisinin, Artemix, Avemar, Oleander, low dose naltrexone, or anything else you are using.  It enhances what you are doing by softening the outer cell membranes to allow penetration of the herbal chemotherapy. 


Purchase organic flax oil—Barleans is a good brand. Get this fresh from the natural foods section of your grocer or health food store. 


There's one really important thing to do with the FLAX OIL to make sure it's maximally absorbable by the body. You need to blend it really well with a high protein dairy product like low fat cottage cheese with pineapple so the oil becomes water soluble. I use a hand held, immersible blender and blend until it looks like cheese cake or cheese with no signs of oil rising to the top, sort of like a smoothie.  But I sometimes just use a fork to mix for a good long time, due to my laziness. And it seems to be working.


The ratio of FLAX OIL to cottage cheese is 1:2 (1 tablespoon of flax oil to 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese). For a large dog (100 pounds) with cancer, your goal is 6 tablespoons of FLAX OIL per day but you should work up to it to avoid causing diarrhea. Start with 3 tablespoons of FLAX OIL per day for a couple weeks then go to 4T for a week, then 5T for a week, then 6T.  For a 50 pound dog, cut the dose in half and for little dogs, cut that in half again.  For prevention, 1 tablespoon of FLAX OIL per 100 pounds should be helpful.

 Tell your vet you are doing this amount of fat, to keep a watch on too much weight gain plus be sure to add this amount of fat over time like it says above so your dogs pancreas doesn't get mad trying to digest these increased fats.  Lucy never got fat.


Cancer loves an acidic environment because it cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Sugar causes acidity, plus it feeds cancer so avoid all sugars.  A grain free diet is best.  Use a high protein diet of cooked foods like eggs and ground turkey and good dog food kibble. Throw some veggies and blueberries so help fill them up and give them more nutrition. Because the protein and fats are going up with anti cancer diets you need to feed kibble in a lower amount and raise the veggies to they don't beg for more for their tummy. Dogs are made for pure protein and medium fat. So people stop with the myths of too high protein. Just make sure they have plenty of fresh water. A discussion of these myths will be blogged later. 
*Unless your dog has diagnosed kidney issues by your vet, feed them what they were built for.  


You can give the Budwig mix as a treat—Lucy is getting this once a day for a snack. She loves it! All I know is I have been doing this for many months now past her biopsy and x-ray proven diagnosis and her symptoms are gone. I am doing other natural stuff like I talk about in this blog, so obviously this is not a perfect study example, but she gets no radiation or chemo and has now lived many months past normally given AND now without symptoms even.


A few vets claim it is not possible for dogs to convert flax seed oil into omega 3 while others make no such claim. They all state, however, that the jury is still out on the dog’s ability to utilize flax seed oil. But Budwig proved it can be absorbed and that it can help. YOU CAN SEE EVERYWHERE THAT THIS STUFF IS GOOD FOR DOGS BECAUSE DOG FOOD MAKERS ARE NOW PUTTING IT IN ALL THE BETTER DOG FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS FOR DOGS.