Juvenile angiofibroma

Juvenile angiofibroma is not very common. It is most often found in adolescent boys. The tumor contains many blood vessels and spreads within the area in which it started (locally invasive). This can cause bone damage.

Symptoms include:

• Difficulty breathing through the nose
• Easy bruising
• Frequent or repeated nosebleeds
• Headache
• Swelling of the cheek
• Hearing loss
• Nasal discharge, usually bloody
• Prolonged bleeding
• Stuffy nose

The health care provider may see the angiofibroma when examining the upper throat.

Tests that may be done include:

• Arteriogram to see the blood supply to the growth
• CT scan of the sinuses
• MRI scan of the head
• X-ray

Biopsy is generally not recommended due to the high risk of bleeding.

You will need treatment if the angiofibroma is growing larger, blocking the airways, or causing repeated nosebleeds. In some cases, no treatment is needed.

Surgery may be needed to remove the tumor. The tumor may be hard to remove if it is not enclosed and has spread to other areas. Newer surgery techniques that place a camera up through the nose have made tumor removal surgery less invasive.

A procedure called embolization may be done to prevent the tumor from bleeding. The procedure may correct the nosebleeds by itself, but it is most often followed by surgery to remove the tumor.

Although not cancerous, angiofibromas may continue to grow and damage nearby tissue or bleed. Some may disappear on their own.

It is common for the tumor to return after surgery.

Complications may include:

• Anemia
• Pressure on the brain (rare)
• Spread of the tumor to the nose, sinuses, and other structures

Contact your provider if you often have:

• Nosebleeds
• One-sided nasal blockage

There is no known way to prevent this condition.

Nasal tumor; Angiofibroma - juvenile; Benign nasal tumor; Juvenile nasal angiofibroma; JNA

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Haddad J, Dodhia SN. Acquired disorders of the nose. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 405.

Nicolai P, Mattavelli D, Castelnuovo P. Benign tumors of the sinonasal tract. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 50.

Snyderman CH, Pant H, Gardner PA. Juvenile angiofibroma. In: Meyers EN, Snyderman CH, eds. Operative Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 122.

Updated by: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.