What are the sequelae of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a malignant tumor disease. Cancer is a disease that people are very afraid of, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma is no exception. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma brings great harm to people's bodies and has a very serious impact on patients' lives. In addition, nasopharyngeal carcinoma can also cause some complications. What are the complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma? Let us learn about it through the following content.

Although the adjacent structures of the nasopharynx have a high tolerance to radiation, some sequelae of nasopharyngeal carcinoma caused by radiotherapy may still occur, especially in patients who receive adequate or excessive radiotherapy. It can be said that if the original structure is affected, the adjacent structures will be affected. The sequelae of radiotherapy include radiation xerostomia, radiation damage to the nervous system, radioactive osteonecrosis, radiation damage to the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and radiation dysfunction of the facial joints, among which radiation xerostomia is the most common.

Radiation xerostomia refers to a significant decrease in saliva flow caused by radiotherapy for head and neck tumors, characterized by rapid onset and persistent dry mouth. After radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, most patients experience varying degrees of reduced saliva, leading to nasopharyngeal carcinoma sequelae such as dry mouth. The main reason for dry mouth is that the patient's three pairs of salivary glands (parotid glands, submandibular glands, and sublingual glands) can all be included in the radiotherapy field, especially the largest salivary glands, the parotid glands, which are almost all included in the radiotherapy field of the nasopharyngeal primary lesion, and are irradiated to varying degrees, leading to salivary gland atrophy, reduced saliva volume, and xerostomia. The degree of salivary gland damage and reduced saliva volume depends on the time, dose, and type of radiotherapy.

Radiation-induced xerostomia usually begins in the middle and late stages of radiotherapy, progressively worsens, and is irreversible. Patients report persistent dry mouth, sometimes with a burning sensation, and loss of taste. Insufficient saliva can make chewing, swallowing, and speaking difficult, often accompanied by oral infections. Certain medicated mouthwashes can be used to control this.