Introduction to several very serious complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

As the disease progresses, in addition to the condition of nasopharyngeal cancer patients becoming increasingly severe, some complications of nasopharyngeal cancer may also occur, causing patients to suffer from other diseases while facing the torture of nasopharyngeal cancer, which is extremely harmful. So what are the common complications of nasopharyngeal cancer ? Let's talk about the common complications of nasopharyngeal cancer.

In general, common complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma include:

1. Difficulty in opening the mouth: It is a common complication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The incidence of difficulty in opening the mouth is 5% to 10%, which is related to the high-dose radiation exposure of the temporomandibular joint. Some patients have severe limitations in opening their mouths, which affects eating and speaking. Necessary mouth-opening exercises during and after radiotherapy can reduce the incidence. Mouth-opening exercises should be carried out every day within two to three years after discharge, such as holding a cork in the mouth, opening an open tube, and opening and closing mouth exercises.

2. Hearing loss and deafness: 8% of patients have obvious hearing loss after radiotherapy, and 3% of patients have bilateral deafness. This is related to the high dose of radiation received by the middle ear and inner ear, and is also a common complication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. There is currently no effective preventive measure except reducing the radiotherapy dose.

3. Neck fibrosclerosis: Several years after radiotherapy, some patients may develop fibrosis of the neck muscles and skin, which manifests as neck muscle atrophy, thin neck and thin skin. Active neck rotation exercises may reduce its severity. This is a more serious complication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

4. Dry mouth and tooth decay: These are also complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The parotid glands are located deep in the cheeks on both sides. They are inevitably exposed to high doses of radiation during conventional radiotherapy, which greatly reduces their ability to secrete saliva. Even after several years of radiotherapy, it is still difficult to recover. Many patients experience dry mouth and have to drink water every few minutes. They have difficulty swallowing rice. Saliva contains various lysozymes. Reduced secretion leads to the proliferation of oral bacteria. Some patients develop severe tooth decay and tooth damage several years after radiotherapy. After discharge from the hospital, you can boil some Chinese medicine to quench your thirst, or chew saliva alcohol to relieve dry mouth. If dry mouth is not effectively cured, the acid produced by dry mouth will corrode the teeth and cause broken teeth within two to three years.

The above are the common complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. I hope it will be helpful to everyone. Once complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma occur, you must go to the hospital in time to actively receive treatment to prevent the disease from further deteriorating and causing more serious harm.