Is there an occupational etiology of inverted papilloma of the nose and sinuses?

The etiology of inverted papilloma is believed to be of viral origin, as viruses or viral material is found in these tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses. As the nose is the first defense line of the respiratory tract, we suspected an etiology of airborne pollution as well, especially occupational pollution. We examined a group of 47 patients treated in our department for nasal inverted papilloma, asking about lifelong professional history and occupational exposure. A matched control group of patients with non-malignant diseases was included in the study. We found a significantly higher degree of occupational exposure to different smokes, dusts, and aerosols in the case group. No similar results have been published to our knowledge. To obtain better proof of the role of possible noxious agents, a study technically investigating exposure is mandatory.