Inverted papillomas of the nose and the paranasal sinuses

A series of 21 patients with inverted papillomas of the nose and/or the paranasal sinuses is presented. In 19 patients the tumour arose from the lateral nasal wall or paranasal sinuses, in 2 it arose from the nasal septum. Nine patients had been previously treated by nasal polypectomy. None of the patients with recurrences after primary surgical treatment showed any evidence of a progression from benign to malignant lesions. Only 14% of the patients suffered from recurrence, and it seems likely that this is because extensive surgical extirpation was recommended as primary treatment in most cases. We feel justified in recommending early and radical surgery.