Uncle Lin, 50 years old, a worker, is usually the backbone of the family. The family of six is supported by his salary. In the past six months, he had a stuffy feeling in his right ear, like a layer of membrane, hearing loss and communication with people feel distant, sometimes accompanied by a low-pitched “squeaking” sound tinnitus, at first thought it was due to “heat”, took some Qing tonic cold also did not work, went to the health station to see a doctor. The doctor thought it was “kidney deficiency” and prescribed him some six flavors of Dihuang Pills, which were still ineffective, and the symptoms were getting worse and worse. He realized the seriousness of the situation and came to the Department of Otolaryngology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University for treatment.
After examination, we found that there was fluid in his middle ear, and the electroacoustic and acoustic conductance tests indicated moderate conductive deafness. The nasopharyngeal MR indicated that the tumor had invaded the nasal cavity, sinuses and orbit, and belonged to advanced nasopharyngeal cancer. At this point, the cause of Uncle Lin’s recurrent otitis media was finally found, but the best time for treatment was lost.
Guangdong is a region with a high incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer, and the current 5-year survival rate of nasopharyngeal cancer is 50%. The key to improve the survival rate is early detection of nasopharyngeal cancer. Apart from some more common symptoms such as morning snot and blood, epistaxis and headache, the initial manifestations of nasopharyngeal cancer may also include secretory otitis media with the first symptoms such as stuffy feeling in the ear and hearing loss. Most cases of secretory otitis media are caused by negative pressure in the tympanic cavity due to a functional or organic disorder of the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube is a small tube that connects the nasopharynx to the middle ear and has two openings: one in the nasopharynx, called the eustachian tube pharynx, and the other in the middle ear tympanic chamber, called the eustachian tube tympanic chamber. In children, the eustachian tube is relatively straight and short, and its position is low, so its function is not yet well developed. Therefore, adults, especially those who have recurrent secretory otitis media for a long time, should be careful to prevent nasopharyngeal cancer from compressing the eustachian tube, and nasopharyngoscopy is necessary at this time.