Sinusitis and…Cancer?

I tweeted about this a couple weeks back, but here’s the full story:

Researchers [have] found a link between people in the United States ages 65 and older who had chronic sinusitis and an increased risk of being diagnosed with one of three different types of head and neck cancer, compared with older adults without chronic sinus problems.

This is about as loose a correlation as you will find in a major national science article, with the possible exception of these whoppers. There is no solid mechanism that would explain this correlation other than the catch-all of “inflammation,” which itself boasts a sketchy history of non-rigorous science.

Far more likely is the possibility that in most cases, the cancer came first and exacerbated symptoms relating to sinusitis, or that closer inspection of sinusitis patients revealed very rare cancers that might never have been discovered for years to come. Plus there’s this:

The findings also suggested that an older person’s increased risk of head and neck cancers was mainly seen within the first year of being diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. Beyond this one-year period, the link between chronic sinusitis and these cancers weakened, according to the findings, published today (Sept. 8) in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

So, don’t worry too much about this one. Sinusitis is already unpleasant enough without any need to compound it with apocalyptic anxiety.