When it comes to malignant tumors, the first thing that comes to mind is gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer or liver cancer.
But in fact, not only the internal organs will become cancerous, as long as the human body has an area of epithelial tissue distribution, under the influence of carcinogenic factors, cancerous changes may occur;
The nasopharyngeal cavity is also no exception, the top and side walls of the nasopharynx may become cancerous, clinically called nasopharyngeal carcinoma!
The incidence rate of nasopharyngeal cancer in the mainland is actually not high, and it is not in the top ten of the list of cancers.
However, the incidence rate of nasopharyngeal cancer ranks first in ENT malignancy.
As far as the current clinical data is concerned, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is actually a well-controlled malignant tumor, the earlier the early detection, early diagnosis and treatment, the better the prognosis effect of the patient!
So the question is, what are the symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer?
1. Rhinorrhoid blood: in the process of development of nasopharyngeal cancer, it may cause violations to peripheral blood vessels, and the cancer itself will also rot or necrosis due to blood circulation disorders, so it is easy to have bleeding symptoms.
However, due to the different pathological types and locations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the performance of rhinorrhoid blood is also different.
For example, patients with lesions located in the posterior wall of the nasopharynx can have nasal blood symptoms when they suck back the secretions from the nasal cavity or nasopharynx, and severe patients will also have nosebleeds.
However, patients with submucosal type may not have rhinorrhoea symptoms. Moreover, because this symptom mostly appears after waking up in the morning, and the amount of bleeding is not much, it is difficult to attract the attention of patients;
2. Nasal congestion: This is one of the most common symptoms of respiratory diseases, and the common cold, influenza, tracheitis, etc. may be combined with nasal congestion.
Moreover, nasal congestion is also one of the most typical symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer, as carcinoma in situ develops and infiltrates, when it invades the posterior nostril area, mechanical blockage will occur.
Tumors, in particular, located in the anterior wall of the nasopharynx, are more likely to cause nasal congestion. Among the initial symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer, nasal congestion accounted for 15.9%, and when diagnosed, it accounted for about 48%;
3. Ear symptoms: patients with nasopharyngeal cancer may have ear symptoms, such as ear swelling, deteriorating hearing, repeated tinnitus and so on.
This is the case because the tumor is located in the pharyngeal crypt, eustachian tube round occipital area and other parts, the tumor in the process of infiltration and development, will compress the Eustachian tube pharynx, resulting in the patient's symptoms and signs of secretory otitis media.
In mainland China, many patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are diagnosed by seeking medical treatment because of ear symptoms;
4. Headache should not be ignored: In mainland clinical practice, nearly 70% of nasopharyngeal cancer patients have symptoms of headache, which is manifested as unilateral persistent pain, and the parts are mostly concentrated in the temporal region and the top.
The reason why nasopharyngeal cancer has headaches is not because of brain metastasis, but because the cancer invades the trigeminal nerve, skull base bone, blood vessels and other parts;
5. Eye symptoms: Under normal circumstances, after nasopharyngeal cancer invades the orbit, or after it violates the nerves related to the eyeball, the patient can have multiple symptoms such as visual impairment, blindness, visual field defect, prosthesis or limited mobility, and diplopia.
During fundus examination, problems such as optic nerve atrophy and edema can be found. Although most of these symptoms appear in advanced stages, some patients still see a doctor for examination.
Since nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a type of cancer that is very sensitive to radiation therapy, its main treatment in the clinic is radiation therapy and surgical resection.
The earlier the nasopharyngeal carcinoma is detected and treated, the better the prognosis will be. However, it is necessary to be vigilant that nasopharyngeal cancer is prone to recurrence and early metastasis, so it is necessary to cooperate with patients for comprehensive treatment and prognosis review.