Nasopharyngeal cancer usually does not cause shoulder pain, but if there is metastasis of cancer cells to the bone, shoulder pain may occur.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a kind of malignant tumor that occurs in the mucosal epithelium of nasopharynx. Typical symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer patients are unilateral progressive nasal congestion, hearing loss, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, etc. Generally, shoulder pain will not occur.
However, due to the variability of individual situation, some patients’ condition progresses faster and may have distant metastasis. The most common metastatic sites of nasopharyngeal cancer are bone, lung and liver. Bone metastasis is common in pelvis, spine and limbs.
When cancer cells metastasize to bone, shoulder pain can occur. When patients with nasopharyngeal cancer experience shoulder pain, they should report to the doctor promptly.
There are many reasons for shoulder pain, and patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are recommended to go to regular hospitals for active treatment.