What is the chance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurring after radiotherapy?

I believe that nasopharyngeal cancer patients and their families have learned from doctors that the best treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer is radiotherapy. This treatment method still brings great pain to patients, so many patients hope to completely get rid of nasopharyngeal cancer and recover their health after radiotherapy. So what is the chance of nasopharyngeal cancer recurring after radiotherapy?

After completing radiotherapy, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma should be followed up regularly. According to research, local or neck recurrence after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is mostly concentrated within two years after radiotherapy. The recurrence rate is particularly high in the first year after radiotherapy, and the recurrence rate is very low after more than 5 years. Therefore, within two years after radiotherapy, intensive follow-up examinations should be performed, and the following matters should be noted.

1. The patient should be reexamined monthly in the first year after radiotherapy, and an electronic nasopharyngoscope examination should be performed every three months. Electronic nasopharyngoscope examination can fully understand the condition of the nasopharynx and detect recurrent lesions at an early stage.

2. CT and MRI examinations: If recurrence is suspected, CT and MRI examinations are required to understand the extent of the recurrence and determine whether surgery is possible and what type of surgery to take.

3. EB virus antibody titer test. EB virus infection is related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma. After radiotherapy, the EB virus antibody titer should turn negative. If the EB virus antibody titer continues to be strongly positive after radiotherapy, or becomes strongly positive again after turning negative, recurrence should be highly suspected.

4. Pay attention to some symptoms that indicate recurrence. Repeated nose bleeding, persistent severe headaches, and facial numbness are the most common manifestations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurrence. If the above symptoms occur, you must seek medical attention as soon as possible.

5. There are many factors that may lead to the recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, including tumor biological characteristics, clinical stage, treatment technology, etc. The earlier the clinical stage, the better the treatment effect and the lower the recurrence rate. However, there are cases where nasopharyngeal carcinoma is cured by radiotherapy for more than 10 years, but the cancer foci recur on the basis of local squamous metaplasia.

Because nasopharyngeal cancer patients are affected by the disease, have heavy psychological burdens, poor appetite, and low resistance, family members should be guided to encourage patients to eat, and give them high-protein, high-vitamin, low-fat, easily digestible foods, such as beans, milk, fungus, carrots, etc. At the same time, family members should be guided to create a clean and comfortable eating environment for patients, pay attention to color, aroma, and provide patients with delicious food and rich nutrition.

Many medical researchers are now working on the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, hoping to find a treatment method that is less painful than radiotherapy, so that nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients can recover and return to normal life and work. Before that, I hope everyone can cherish life, smoke less, actively treat rhinitis and pharyngitis, and avoid nasopharyngeal carcinoma threatening our health and life.