Nasopharyngeal cancer is a very common malignant tumor, the incidence rate of which is about 2~3 times higher in men than in women, and the age of 40~50 is the high incidence age. Nasopharyngeal cancer accounts for 30.97% of systemic malignant tumors, 78.08% of head and neck tumors, and 92.99% of upper respiratory tract tumors.
The main treatment for early stage nasopharyngeal cancer is radiation therapy, and the 5-year survival rate after early treatment is more than 70%, and given that radiation therapy also has a damaging effect on normal cells, it can be combined with traditional Chinese medicine for treatment. Radiotherapy is the basic treatment method for nasopharyngeal cancer. In high incidence areas, such as Southeast Asia, more than 98% of the tissue types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are hypofractionated squamous carcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma, which have high sensitivity to radiation. Therefore, radiation therapy is by far the most effective treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, with an overall 5-year survival rate of about 50%. The efficacy of early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma is as high as 80-90%, while the efficacy of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma is very poor. A multicenter clinical study found that clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an important factor affecting the treatment effect, and the efficacy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma decreases by about 20% when the clinical stage increases by one stage. Therefore, strengthening the secondary prevention of nasopharyngeal cancer, i.e. early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment is the key to improve the therapeutic effect of nasopharyngeal cancer.
The main clinical treatment methods for middle and late stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma include radiotherapy and Chinese medicine treatment. Radiation therapy is still the first choice for the treatment of middle and late stage nasopharyngeal cancer, which has a more direct effect on killing cancer cells, but also causes damage to normal cells, therefore, the dose, irradiation range and number of irradiation courses should be carefully selected according to the lesion scope and human body function. Combination chemotherapy is also one of the more commonly used methods for the treatment of mid- to late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is mostly combined with radiotherapy and has better effects than radiotherapy alone or chemotherapy alone. In addition, in view of the toxic side effects of radiotherapy on human body, Chinese medicine can be combined in the treatment of mid-to-late stage nasopharyngeal cancer to enhance the effect and reduce the toxicity. For patients with extensive metastasis and weak body function, who can hardly tolerate chemotherapy, conservative treatment with Chinese medicine can be used. Although the short-term effect is not as obvious as chemotherapy, the long-term effect is good, and it has obvious effects in improving the quality of survival and prolonging the survival period.
The treatment effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is related to whether the treatment is complete and thorough on the one hand, and whether the daily care of patients after treatment is appropriate on the other. Proper care can improve patients’ resistance to disease. In terms of diet, during radiotherapy and chemotherapy, patients with nasopharyngeal cancer should eat foods that are easy to digest and rich in protein, vitamins, amino acids and other nutrients; quit smoking and alcohol, avoid eating spicy and stimulating foods; and should not eat too dry and rough foods. They can also rely on Chinese herbal medicines with anti-tumor and spleen and kidney tonic effects, which can enhance the immune function of the patient’s organism and support the righteousness, and can inhibit the development of cancer cells, thus improving the patient’s quality of life.