Nose bleeding is a small thing to many people, but if there is repeatedly bloody nasal discharge, light pink nasal discharge, or blood in sputum, it is a big deal. This condition, which is medically known as “returning aspiration with blood”, is probably an early sign of nasopharyngeal cancer.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the head and neck, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed in the early stage.
1.The location of nasopharynx is hidden and lacks specific symptoms in early stage, while the rich lymphatic vessels in nasopharynx provide convenient conditions for cancer cells to metastasize.
2. However, it does not mean that the presence of “blood in the nasopharynx” means nasopharyngeal cancer.
How to distinguish “blood in aspiration” from cancer?
The bleeding caused by dryness in the nasal cavity or nasopharynx is often short-lived, while the bleeding in nasopharyngeal cancer is repeated and continuous, with aggravating symptoms such as tinnitus, hearing loss and ear blockage. At this time, a nasopharyngoscopy can be done at the hospital to make a judgment at a glance.
In addition, a rapidly growing hard lump in the neck may also indicate nasopharyngeal cancer. Because, the internal structure of the nose is complicated, and the lymphatic vessels inside the nose are like a pathway to the outside world, making cancer cells in the neck near the back of the earlobe, forming enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. If the hard lump grows to the size of quail egg in a short period of time, it is better to go to hospital for examination in time.
Another overlooked symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is migraine headache. If the above symptoms occur along with headache, the cancer cells may have metastasized into the skull, and the headache in early stage is usually intermittent, while in advanced stage, there is a continuous severe headache.