Moms nose reconstructed from rib cartilage after losing most of it to rare cancer

A woman says a rare type of cancer left surgeons forced to remove an estimated 80% of her nose and reconstruct it using cartilage from her rib.Mel Frisby, 39, was on holiday in Turkey in September 2022 when she jumped off a boat into the sea and realized upon surfacing she was having a nosebleed.After returning home, she noticed a small pimple on the top left corner of her nose that felt like “bone.”Her nose continued to change in shape, and her husband, 41, urged her to get it checked at A&E at Leeds General Infirmary, where she was referred to ENT.Nine days later, it was discovered Mel had osteomyelitis – an infection of the bone on her nasal bridge, which she had surgery to drain, needing an eight-day stay in the hospital.But Mel’s nose continued to swell in size, so she returned to A&E and a CT scan revealed a “soft tissue” mass which was biopsied.Three weeks later on November 7, 2022, Mel was diagnosed with high-stage sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma – a rare and aggressive type of cancer that develops in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.Mel underwent surgery on November 24, 2022 to remove around 80% of her nose, before undergoing a further reconstructive surgery a week later.Surgeons used cartilage from Mel’s rib and skin from her forehead to reconstruct her nose, called a forehead flap procedure – which was connected four weeks later.She then underwent 30 rounds of radiotherapy over six weeks – where, sadly, Mel’s new nose collapsed due to the radiation.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.Three years on, Mel is now cancer-free but has been told there is “nothing more than [sic] can be done” to fix her nose by her hospital.She has been sharing her story on social media to help others who may be going through something ...