Five common early symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most common tumor diseases in my country. In the early stages of the disease, many symptoms are ignored, which delays the best treatment opportunity. Therefore, it is very important to understand the common symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the early stages. Here are the five major symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the early stages:

1. Blood in the nose: Blood in the nose is an early symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which manifests as blood in the nasal mucus, or blood in the nasal mucus sucked back from the mouth, also known as respiration blood in the nose. Blood in the nose often occurs after getting up in the morning. When the amount of blood in the nose is not large, it is often neglected by patients and mistaken for rhinitis or sinusitis, or is treated as hemoptysis in the internal medicine department.

2. Headache: When nasopharyngeal carcinoma is first diagnosed, about 70% of patients have headache symptoms. The headache symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma often manifest as migraine, pain in the back of the skull or neck. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma headaches are mostly related to cancer tissue invading the skull base bones, nerves and blood vessels.

3. Nasal congestion: Nasal congestion is another early manifestation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Most cases are unilateral. When the nasopharyngeal tumor grows, bilateral nasal congestion may occur. This is one of the early symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

4. Tinnitus and hearing loss: Tinnitus, stuffy ears and hearing loss are also early signs of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This symptom is caused by the nasopharyngeal carcinoma neoplasm blocking the Eustachian tube opening on the affected side. Hearing loss may also be caused by further deterioration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and damage to the auditory nerve. Tinnitus and hearing loss are often misdiagnosed as otitis media or other diseases, which delays treatment.

5. Neck mass: Many nasopharyngeal cancer patients often seek medical attention because they accidentally feel a "lump" on their neck. This "lump" is actually an enlarged lymph node. The swollen lymph nodes in the neck of nasopharyngeal cancer patients are often misdiagnosed as inflammation. For neck masses that do not shrink after anti-inflammatory treatment or even continue to grow rapidly, especially those that are hard, have poor mobility, and are painless and fused together, you need to seek medical attention in time.