BCHS physician discovers rare tumour in Calder Lyons’ sinuses

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The Lyons family is extremely grateful that the physician who treated their son for a severe nosebleed trusted his medical instincts to look further into the cause and quickly discovered a rare condition at the root of the problem.

Calder Lyons experienced minor nosebleeds since he started classes at Laurentian University in 2014, but they always seemed to stop on their own. Most recently, Calder was home in June 2016 when he had another serious nosebleed, but that eventually stopped too. His mother Michele planned to make an appointment for her otherwise healthy son to see their family doctor. But the next morning while driving himself to work, Calder’s nose started to bleed again.

Grateful Patient Calder Lyons — From left: Dr. Allen Lam with grateful patient Calder Lyons and mother Michele.

“This time it didn’t stop,” he said.

Calder was able to safely get to work, but from his car, he called to say he couldn’t come inside as he was bleeding so heavily. Coworkers called for an ambulance that transported Calder to the Emergency Department at the Brantford General. His parents Scott and Michele met him there.

“At the time I didn’t think it was as bad as it ended up being,” said Michele. “But it kind of threw us a curve ball when Dr. Lam said something didn’t sit right with him.”

Dr. Allen Lam is an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at Brant Community Healthcare System. He ordered a CT scan for Calder. The X-ray images generated during the scan would give the doctor a better look at what was going on inside Calder’s nasal area. While they waited for the scan, Dr. Lam worked with emergency staff to discuss his case and what might be causing such a severe nosebleed in a healthy young man with no other symptoms.

While they brainstormed Calder’s symptoms, specialized inflatable packing was inserted into Calder’s nose to stop the bleeding.

“I lost a ton of blood,” Calder recalled, “but I don’t remember feeling light-headed at all.”

“I personally had no idea the amount of blood he lost and how dangerous it was,” said Michele, “But Dr. Lam was very concerned that Calder should not lose any more.”

By the time all was said and done, however, Calder had received eight units of blood.

Within hours, the CT scan was complete and the results indicated a tumour about three-to-four centimetres in diameter was the culprit. The mass was described as being vascular, containing blood vessels that made it prone to bleeding and had been in Calder’s nasal cavity for at least a couple of years.

This confirmed what Dr. Lam had suspected. Calder was diagnosed with Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA), a rare type of tumour that, while benign, would continue to cause problems if left untreated.

“Dr. Lam’s intuition in taking the time to fully investigate this situation has saved Calder from even more severe complications in the future, should this have gone undiagnosed,” said Michele.

JNA is such a rare condition that there is just one specialist in the area who could treat Calder. That specialist later told them there have only been three cases of JNA in Ontario over the last few years, so for it to be diagnosed so quickly is a credit to Dr. Lam.

While he awaited a transfer to the specialist, Calder maintained his usual, easy-going attitude – joking with his brother, Michael, and the nurses who kept him comfortable at the Brantford General.

“I wasn’t ever horrified,” said Calder, adding he just went along with the situation, adding “everybody here was super nice.”

“We are truly grateful for Dr. Lam’s expertise, for his compassion and interest in Calder’s case,” said Michele. “We’d like to recognize him for how he helped the family, but also what he does every day – helping to improve the lives and the health and well-being of people in our community.”

As Calder and the Lyons family know first-hand, when crisis or illness impacts you or a loved one, the Brant Community Healthcare System is here to offer you exceptional healthcare in your time of need.

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