What Is Snuc??

I am having a time trying to figure out what that means.  I thougt the "U" stood for undifferentiated.  So, all maxillary sinus cancers are not in this category, correct?

My mom's sinus cancer is moderately differentiated, and her surgeon told her it was curable.  She had surgery first then treatments.  Is that the norm?  I keep reading where people are having treatments then surgery. 

She was biopsied as a stage 2, but when the surgeon got in it appeared to have spread to a larger area.  She didn't need a neck dissection, but is left with this huge defect to be filled in with a huge plastic obterator.  Anybody else here have one of those??    

Hi Susan,

  My husband was recently diagnosed with SNUC- sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma of his maxillary sinus.  His was diagnosed at Grade 4 which meant he already had bone deterioration.  The surgeon who found it said it was inoperable, but he has had 39 radiation treatments, and 3 rounds of chemo- Cisplatin and 5FU.  It really kicked his butt!  the plan was to shrink it down first, then do surgery.  His tumor has shrunk by 50% and initial post treatment PET scan looked promising, but was done 5 weeks after treatment. 

  We then saw an ENT surgeon at UW in Madison who felt the scans were done too soon post treatment, so we will be going back end of July for repeat PET and possible surgery at that time.  He needed a PEG tube for feedings due to mouth sores and extreme nausea-just now starting to eat and has stopped tube feedings almost 8 weeks since end of chemo/radiation.  It has been a rough road, but we take one day at a time.

  We don't talk a lot about prognosis, there are so few cases of SNUC out there.

  You and your mother will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers.

Kathy