1.Blood in the nose Blood in the nose is an early symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, manifested as blood in the nose or blood in the nose from the mouth, also known as blood in the nose. Blood in the nose often occurs in the morning after waking up. When the amount of nasal blood is small, it is often neglected by patients and mistaken for rhinitis or sinusitis, or treated as hemoptysis and referred to internal medicine.
2.Headache When nasopharyngeal cancer is first diagnosed, about 70% of patients have headache symptoms. The headache symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are often manifested as migraine, pain at the top of the skull, behind the occiput or in the neck. Most of the headaches in nasopharyngeal cancer are related to the invasion of bone, nerve and blood vessel at the skull base by cancer tissue.
3.Nasal congestion Nasal congestion is another early manifestation of nasopharyngeal cancer. Most of them are unilateral nasal congestion. When the nasopharyngeal tumor increases, bilateral nasal congestion may appear. This is one of the early symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer.
4. Tinnitus and hearing loss Tinnitus, ear congestion and hearing loss are also early signs of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This symptom is caused by nasopharyngeal cancer neoplasm blocking the opening of the affected eustachian tube. Hearing loss can also be caused by further progression of nasopharyngeal cancer that damages the hearing nerve. Tinnitus and hearing loss are often misdiagnosed as otitis media or other diseases, resulting in delayed treatment.
5. Neck mass Many patients with nasopharyngeal cancer often seek medical treatment because they unintentionally touch a “mass” on their neck. These “lumps” are actually enlarged lymph nodes. The swollen lymph nodes in the neck of nasopharyngeal cancer patients are often misdiagnosed as inflammation. For neck lumps that do not shrink after anti-inflammatory treatment, or even continue to grow rapidly, especially painless neck lumps with hard texture, poor mobility and multiple fusion into one mass, prompt medical consultation is needed.