How to screen for nasopharyngeal cancer early?

Simply put, NPC is a malignant tumor that grows in the nasopharynx. Due to the hidden location of the nasopharynx, the early symptoms of NPC are often not typical and are often ignored. In addition, the nasopharynx is closely adjacent to the ear, nose, oropharynx, eye socket, skull base and other tissues and organs, and is prone to invading surrounding tissues and organs, resulting in a variety of symptoms of NPC. Therefore, it is easy to misdiagnose, resulting in most patients being diagnosed with locally advanced tumors.

Early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial for the treatment and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

1. What are the early symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer?

1. Painless cervical lymphadenopathy: Most nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients will experience cervical lymphadenopathy in the early stages. Although chronic inflammation and other diseases can also cause cervical lymphadenopathy, it will improve after anti-infection treatment. If there is no relief after treatment, and the lumps feel less active, harder, and painless after touch, and multiple lumps are fused into a mass, you need to go to the hospital for treatment in time.

2. Retracted bloody mucus: When we inhale rapidly from the nasal cavity, the airflow quickly impacts the soft palate and causes intense friction, which causes the blood vessels of the tumor to rupture. This is manifested as blood in the mucus or blood in the mucus being sucked back from the mouth, which is a typical clinical manifestation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

3. Tinnitus, stuffy ears, or hearing loss: The nasopharynx is close to the ears, so this phenomenon will occur in the early stages of nasopharyngeal cancer. This symptom is due to tumor infiltration, which compresses the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube, resulting in symptoms and signs of secretory otitis media.

4. Nasal congestion: It is usually persistent on one side. When the tumor increases in size, nasal congestion symptoms will appear on both sides.

5. Headache: It is often manifested as unilateral persistent pain, mostly in the temporal and parietal areas.

2. What are the screening methods for nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

1. Rhinoscopy:

Anterior rhinoscopy: After the nasal mucosa is retracted, the posterior nasal cavity and nasopharynx can be viewed through the anterior rhinoscopy, and cancer invading or adjacent to the nostrils can be detected.

Indirect nasopharyngeal endoscopy: various parts of the nasopharynx can be observed, with attention paid to the posterior wall of the nasopharyngeal roof and the pharyngeal recesses on both sides. The corresponding parts on both sides should be compared and observed, and asymmetric submucosal protrusions or solitary nodules on both sides should be noted.

Fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy: It allows close observation and photography through the nasal cavity or oral cavity.

2. Neck biopsy:

In cases where a rhinitis biopsy has been performed but the diagnosis has not been confirmed, a biopsy of the neck mass can be performed.

3. Serological testing:

The main test is to test the EB virus antibodies and EB virus free DNA in the blood. A positive EB virus antibody means that you have been infected with the EB virus. However, EB virus infection does not mean that you will develop nasopharyngeal cancer. It needs to be confirmed with other clinical examinations.

4. Imaging examination:

Nasopharyngeal lateral radiograph, skull base radiograph and CT scan, B-mode ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging

3. To prevent nasopharyngeal cancer, do these four things

1. Pay attention to climate changes, prevent colds, keep your nose and throat clean, and avoid viral infections.

2. Avoid excessive stimulation, try to avoid long-term exposure to heavily polluted environments, avoid inhaling harmful fumes, and actively quit smoking and drinking.

3. Pay attention to diet: Improper diet is a major factor in inducing nasopharyngeal cancer. In daily life, you must not eat too much pickled food containing carcinogenic nitrosamines, such as salted fish, pickled meat, pickled vegetables, etc.

4. Actively treat diseases such as inflammation and ulcers of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx. Do not underestimate symptoms that recur and are ineffective, and go to a regular hospital as soon as possible.

The key to nasopharyngeal carcinoma is "early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment", making nasopharyngeal carcinoma preventable, screenable, and controllable, improving patient treatment outcomes and prognosis, and improving patient survival, treatment, and social benefits.