Complications of chemotherapy-induced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma accounts for a large proportion of head tumors and is a highly malignant tumor. Patients who know about nasopharyngeal carcinoma should know that with the development of radiotherapy technology, early nasopharyngeal carcinoma can achieve good results. However, every treatment method has complications, and radiotherapy is no exception.

Radiotherapy is the most common treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, but what are the complications of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma? Many people are not very clear. Radiotherapy complications include radiotherapy regression: mainly temporomandibular joint dysfunction and soft tissue atrophy and fibrosis, radiation-induced dental caries and radiation-induced osteomyelitis of the jaw bone and radiation-induced encephalomyelopathy. There is currently no proper way to reverse it, but symptomatic treatment and supportive methods are helpful to a certain extent. Excessive irradiation of important tissues and organs must be strictly avoided.

In addition, the systemic reactions of nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy include fatigue, dizziness, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, tastelessness or change in taste in the mouth, insomnia or drowsiness, etc. Some patients may experience changes in blood count, especially leukopenia. Although the degree varies, it can generally be overcome through symptomatic treatment and radiotherapy can be completed. If necessary, vitamin B1, B6, C, metoclopramide, etc. can be taken. If the white blood cell count drops below 3×109, radiotherapy should be suspended.

Local reaction to radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A small number of patients may experience parotid swelling after 2gy of parotid irradiation, which gradually subsides in 2 to 3 days. When irradiated for 40gy, saliva secretion is significantly reduced, while oral mucosal secretion increases, and the mucosa becomes congested and swollen. Patients have dry mouth and difficulty eating dry food. Therefore, excessive irradiation of the parotid gland should be avoided. Reactions of the skin, mucosa, and salivary glands may also occur. Skin reactions manifest as dry dermatitis or even wet dermatitis, and anti-inflammatory ointments with 0.1% borneol talc or lanolin as the base can be used topically. Mucosal reactions manifest as congestion, edema, exudation, and accumulation of secretions in the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal mucosa, and gargles and lubricating anti-inflammatory agents can be used topically.

The complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy are mainly those introduced above. Of course, the radiotherapy technology itself is constantly improving to address these adverse reactions. The current three-dimensional conformal intensity modulated radiotherapy has accurate positioning. The damage to normal tissue is small, so the side effects are much smaller. Experts from the hospital's tumor diagnosis and treatment center remind you: nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy has high requirements for equipment and doctors, and it is recommended to choose a large hospital for treatment.

The above content introduces the complications of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We hope that the above content can be helpful to patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Experts suggest that early detection and early treatment are necessary for any disease, which is the basis for maintaining health.