How to diagnose nasopharyngeal carcinoma and what methods to use to check

If nasopharyngeal cancer is discovered in life, it needs to be examined, diagnosed and treated in time, which will help the treatment effect. There are generally two ways to examine nasopharyngeal carcinoma. One is Xizhen puncture and aspiration, and the other is serum testing.

Two common methods of nasopharyngeal carcinoma examination

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a common cancer. Many patients are frightened when they hear that they have nasopharyngeal carcinoma and don’t know what to do. In fact, as long as you understand the symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, you can detect cancer in time and actively go to the hospital for relevant examinations and diagnosis. This article introduces two common examination methods.

(I) Fine needle aspiration: This is a simple, safe and efficient method for tumor diagnosis. It has been highly recommended in recent years. For patients suspected of cervical lymph node metastasis, fine needle aspiration can be used first to obtain cells. The specific method is as follows:

1. Puncture of nasopharyngeal tumors: Connect a No. 7 long needle to a syringe. After anesthetizing the oropharynx, insert the needle into the tumor substance under an indirect nasopharyngeal endoscope. Draw the syringe to create negative pressure so that it can move back and forth twice in the tumor. Smear the extract on a glass slide for cytological examination.

2. Fine needle aspiration of neck mass: Connect a No. 7 or No. 9 needle to a 10ml syringe. After local skin disinfection, select the puncture point and insert the needle into the syringe along the long axis of the tumor to aspirate the tumor. Move the needle back and forth in the mass 2 to 3 times. After removal, perform cytological or pathological examination on the aspirate.

(ii) Epstein-Barr virus serological test: Currently, the most commonly used method is to detect the IgA/VCA and IgA/EA antibody titers of the Epstein-Barr virus by immunoenzymatic method. The former has higher sensitivity and lower accuracy. The latter is just the opposite. Therefore, for patients suspected of having nasopharyngeal carcinoma, it is advisable to test both antibodies at the same time, which is helpful for early diagnosis. For cases with IgA/VCA titer ≥1:40 and/or IgA/EA titer ≥1:5, even if no abnormality is found in the nasopharynx, exfoliated cells or biopsy should be performed at the site where NPC is prone to occur. If the diagnosis is still not confirmed, regular follow-up should be performed, and multiple biopsy examinations may be required if necessary.