What Is Inverted Papilloma? Large Tumor Damages Elderly Woman's Skull

An elderly woman's face was ravaged after a tumor ballooned causing the front of her skull to shatter, according to reports. The 71-year-old woman, who lives in the Philippines, was earlier diagnosed with the common condition sinusitis but later it was revealed that she was suffering from inverted Papilloma.

Editha Dadores started having pains in her nostrils four years ago and visited doctors near her home in Puerto Princesa, a remote island in the Philippines. Despite several medications she continued to face discomfort and later underwent an operation in 2015. However the tumor continued to balloon and has damaged Dadores' face.

According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, "Inverted papillomas are defined as nasal tumors that originate in the mucosal membrane of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Papillomas are benign epithelial tumors that grow outward in fingerlike projections in the nose. In inverted papillomas, these projections grow inward and into the underlying bone. These tumors are locally aggressive, often recur, and can become malignant (cancerous)."

"My mother-in-law started having pain four years and this was diagnosed as sinusitis. The doctors warned that this could become cancerous," Dadores' daughter-in-law Renalyn, 33, told the Daily Mail. "She has had a lot of treatment since then but nothing has stopped the tumor. It has been like watching a car crash in very slow motion and there's nothing you can do to help."

"The tumor has grown so much it has destroyed her looks. It's like a snout, like an ant-eater, and it's not nice for her," she continued. "She is not in pain now because she has medication. But talking, sleeping and eating are difficult for her. Her face has been badly damaged and the bones in her face are broken."

Doctors have recommended facial reconstruction but have warned the procedure would be risky, the Daily Mail reported.

Dadores is currently in hospital in Palawan city as the doctors are trying to figure out the next move in her treatment.

"We have been supported by a charity which has helped with some of the medical costs for my mother-in-law," Renalyn added. "The doctors are waiting to choose a hospital for her to be sent to for treatment from specialists. We hope that she will go to Manilla soon."