What are the complications of late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

After nasopharyngeal carcinoma surgery, everything is not all right. It is often accompanied by recurrence and metastasis. There are several metastasis pathways for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, among which bone metastasis is one of them. For patients with the disease, the greatest hope after treatment is recovery. The same is true for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. So, what are the complications of late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

There are no symptoms in the early stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma bone metastasis. When the tumor grows to a certain size, it will compress or affect the sensory nerve endings, or cause bone damage and cause pain. The pain is intermittent at first, and then becomes continuous, especially at night, and cannot be relieved by rest or immobilization. The pain is significantly aggravated when the bone metastasis focus is pressed. Some patients have low fever or anemia. Pathological fractures may occur in patients with severe bone necrosis. If it is a cervical vertebrae fracture, it can compress the cervical spinal cord, causing weakness in the limbs, difficulty breathing, and even respiratory arrest. Cachexia may occur in the late stage.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma often spreads to the spine, pelvis, and ribs, which may be related to the structure of the spinal venous system. The spinal venous system is located around the dura mater and the spine. It has no venous valves of its own. It is directly related to the branches of the superior vena cava and can form an independent system. When the pressure in the chest cavity increases, it will cause blood flow to slow down, block, or even flow backward, creating opportunities for tumor cells passing through to stay and multiply.

The most common sites of nasopharyngeal carcinoma bone metastasis are the spine, pelvis and ribs, followed by the scapula, humerus, femur, skull, etc. Most cases are multiple bone metastases throughout the body, and single metastases are rare.

Nasopharyngeal cancer patients should undergo regular checkups after surgery to prevent the recurrence and metastasis of nasopharyngeal cancer. In addition, we must pay close attention to our own bodies. If we show symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer, we should be hospitalized immediately for nasopharyngeal cancer treatment. Otherwise, delaying the treatment will lead to the recurrence and metastasis of nasopharyngeal cancer.

What are the complications of late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma? After the above professor's introduction, I believe we have a certain understanding and knowledge. For nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, after treatment, they must be very careful about their own maintenance matters, and must not let the disease stand by because of a momentary carelessness.