SCC in the cavernous sinus

Hi Tynemouth

Sorry to hear about your husband's SCC. I haven't heard of it like this before - I hope someone in the group can help you and I wish you both well

Hi my father who is 80 was diagnosed last year - August 2025 with a benign meningioma in the right cavernous sinus  - he has a brain tumour to be clear  . He had symptoms since 2021 . It took ages to diagnose but think this area of the brain is difficult to scan . He had multiple scans before it was discovered. He then had a biopsy in Jan 2026 taken going into the right eye area as it had already closed and he had lost his sight  . Even  benign we were told non operable .  This unfortunately didn’t go well as he didn’t cope with the operation / anaesthetic and spent 2 months in hospital recovering from delirium and was bedridden . He has also suffered a mini stroke in the process however we don’t know when this happened .The mini stroke has caused some  of the brain to have died .  This has made us reevaluate the situation overall . He is now back to normal ( as before) but biopsy result revealed he has SCC in right cavernous sinus not meningioma as initially thought , so now cancerous not benign . He was offered treatment but it’s started growing more since the original scans taken in October 25. It’s growing from the brain outwards . He was offered radiotherapy but we have declined due to quality of life and already ending up in hospital once for a long period . The reason for this is they have said that the strength of the radiotherapy he needs to target it would impact his health further and we don’t want to take the risk . He wasn’t offered any other treatment such as immunotherapy and now have palliative care coming this week . I’m sorry this sounds so negative and maybe upsetting for you to hear - it’s not meant to be . Obviously every diagnosis is different/ individual , as in age, growth etc . I have only responded as he was at two specialist hospitals one in Essex and one in Hampshire  (he also moved house in the process) and both consultants /MDT teams have never seen this as a primary in the cavernous sinus . He had PET scans and no cancer elsewhere and has never had skin cancer although fair skinned and was under a dermatologist  . I have never found on any brain support groups or in literature this type of cancer so hence the response . We are positively living life now without treatment . He has clearly had this for a number of years without realising and we hope the deterioration is slower than predicted due to the lack of information/ research . 

Thank you for your response. Yes this seems to be very unusual. My husband is 61. The immunotherapy didn’t stop the growth. He will now have  radiotherapy. Which we hope will halt/reduce the growth. We are praying/ hoping that works and gives him some respite and longer with us. 

we have been told he has been very unlucky, which doesn’t help. 

That’s very sad I’m sorry that the immunotherapy didn’t work for him,  your husband is also much younger . As I said we initially thought it was benign from the August 25  scan so when my dad eventually got better from the biopsy he was shocked to find out the diagnosis had changed . We were told that it was slower growing from looking at the August to October 25 scans, I could barely see it on the screen  . However by the February 26 showed a faster growth after the biopsy, we don’t know why there was a change . There appears to be a-lot of rare cancers out there which are brain related and not a lot of funding for research .  From a positive point your husband has coped so far with the biopsy and immunotherapy treatment, he is much younger . In our experience, I don’t think they would try if they thought he wasn’t fit enough or there was some hope. They did everything to get my father better after the biopsy and we have acceptance on the decision we have made . It’s been extremely tough to not fight, unnatural, but he wouldn’t be able to handle the treatment in his present condition - they were very clear on that  . He has been treated by the Southampton Head & Neck MDT group . The doctors and nurses have been kind and are very experienced in brain tumours, I’ve been told one of the best, if they need another reference.I’m hoping / praying that the radiotherapy works for you and slows it down .Its very hard emotionally and feels like your on this rollercoaster of the unknown . 

Hoping he is still fairly well in himself apart from probably head aches, pain in side of face/ jaw/eye  ? Take each day as it comes.  Please let me know how you get on . 

Thanks so much. It seems a very similar story, as initially we were told his was a benign melangioma.

Hes fit and well apart from this and we have our fingers crossed that the radiotherapy will work.

I hope your Father is able to enjoy these times he has left with you all. Xx

It’s good he is still fit and well . Hoping the treatment works xx