Nasopharyngeal Cancer Symptoms

nasopharyngeal cancer symptoms

Nasopharyngeal cancer is the most common cancer found in the ear, nose, and throat area. It is a malignant cancer originated from nasopharynx tissue. What is nasopharynx? The nasopharynx is an area behind the nose and also the upper part of the throat. Throat or pharynx, is a tube with 5 inches long that starts behind the nose and ends at the top of esophagus (a tube connecting throat to stomach) and trachea (wind pipe). Each side of the nasopharynx leads into an ear. Nasopharynx is an area consists of squamous cells that make it likely probable to have malignant cancer.

Nasopharyngeal cancer is associated with some risk factors as listed below.

• Epstein-Barr virus exposure. Many studies show that this virus is closely related with certain cancers such as lymphomas and also nasopharyngeal cancer.
• Asian or Chinese ancestry.

Nasopharyngeal cancer symptoms 

There are main symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer you have to pay attention, and please consult your physician when you find these:

• A chronic sore throat
• Followed by a lump in the nose or neck area
• Nosebleeds
• Trouble in speaking or breathing
• Hearing loss from mild to severe
• Otalgia (ear pain), or ringing ear
• Chronic headache

How to diagnose nasopharyngeal cancer?

When you find suspected symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer, you should go to the physician, especially an ENT specialist. These procedures may be done to make a definite diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer:

• Physical examination: about the lymph node enlargement, abnormal condition of ear, nose, throat
• Neurological examination: to check the function of brain and nerve.
• CT-scan: it is a detailed imaging of suspected cancer area.
• Biopsy: it is a gold standard of nasopharyngeal cancer diagnosis. Small cells will be removed and examined under a microscope to check for cancer signs and also cancer staging. 
• Laboratory tests: it may include blood and urine tests, or other necessary substances in the body. The goal of laboratory test is to help diagnose, know about cancer metastase, and plan the proper treatment according to cancer staging.

Nasopharyngeal cancer treatment

Nasopharyngeal cancer treatment options and its chance of recovery depend on these factors:

• Cancer stage (known by biopsy)
• Cancer type (known by biopsy)
• The patient's age and underlying medical condition
• The size of cancer

Generally, there are five specific treatments to cure nasopharyngeal cancer:

1. Surgery
2. Radiotherapy
3. Chemotherapy
4. Immunotherapy
5. IMRT (Intensity-modulated radiation therapy)