Early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is very important

The lesions of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are deep in the central part of the skull, and the clinical manifestations are extremely complex and changeable. It is very easy to miss, misdiagnose or delay diagnosis for a long time, which causes patients to lose the opportunity for early cure, significantly increases the difficulty of treatment, increases the pain of patients, and reduces the survival period after treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is very important for its treatment.

If the patient has unexplained persistent or intermittent retractile blood in the nose (or blood in the sputum, especially blood mixed in the sputum in the early morning), unilateral nasal congestion, tinnitus, a feeling of ear blockage, hearing loss, headache, diplopia, or a neck mass, an indirect nasopharyngeal endoscopy or electronic endoscopy should be performed as soon as possible. A nasopharyngeal biopsy can be performed as appropriate or electively based on the examination results. At the same time, necessary examinations such as Epstein-Barr virus serology (VCA-IgA, IgM, IgG), serum ferritin, serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, and enhanced CT of the nasopharynx and skull base can also be performed.

It is important to note that due to the special anatomical structure of the nasopharynx and its adjacent important tissues, the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is significantly different from that of any other malignant tumor in the body. A normal appearance of the nasopharyngeal mucosa or a negative first biopsy of the nasopharynx does not rule out nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The primary nasopharyngeal cancer may invade the brain without affecting the surface morphology of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation is required for suspected patients, and close follow-up should be paid attention to. If necessary, repeated nasopharyngeal biopsies should be performed until a diagnosis is confirmed.