Nasopharyngeal cancer is one of the most frequent tumors in China, and in some areas with high incidence of malignant tumors, the incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer has ranked first among the whole body malignant tumors. The causes of nasopharyngeal cancer are generally believed to be related to genetic factors, viral infection, inhalation or ingestion of carcinogenic substances, etc. Capturing the early signs of nasopharyngeal cancer is crucial to prolong the life of patients in the future.
There are many clinical manifestations of nasopharyngeal cancer, and the main symptoms in early stage are as follows. It 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 for internal medicine consultation.
Nasal congestion is another early manifestation of nasopharyngeal cancer. Most of them are unilateral nasal congestion. When the nasopharyngeal tumor increases in size, bilateral nasal congestion may occur.
Tinnitus and hearing loss Tinnitus, stuffy feeling in the ear and hearing loss are also early signs of nasopharyngeal cancer. This symptom is caused by the nasopharyngeal neoplasm blocking the pharyngeal opening of the affected side of the eustachian tube. Tinnitus and hearing loss are often misdiagnosed as otitis media or other diseases, resulting in delayed treatment.
Headache At the initial diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer, about 70% of patients have headache. The headache of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is often unilateral and persistent, mostly in the temporal and apical areas. Most of the headaches in nasopharyngeal cancer are related to the invasion of cancer tissue into the bones, nerves and blood vessels at the skull base.
Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck Many patients with nasopharyngeal cancer often seek medical treatment because they unintentionally find a “lump” on their neck. This “lump” is actually an enlarged lymph node. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma are often misdiagnosed as inflammatory diseases.
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.
If any of the above symptoms occurs, it is better to go to the ENT department of the hospital in time to rule out the possibility of nasopharyngeal cancer.