What are the complications of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and how to prevent them

Radiotherapy is an effective means of treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but it is also inevitable that there will be certain complications, which require patients to take precautions to avoid. So, what are the complications of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma? How to prevent them?

Common complications after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma:

1. Skin radiation reaction: The skin in the irradiation field of nasopharyngeal carcinoma will cause a series of skin reactions after being exposed to radiation. The initial symptoms are skin erythema and pigmentation, followed by hair loss, dry peeling, and a few patients will form blisters, which will fuse into large areas of moist dermatitis and superficial ulcers. The severity of the skin reaction is related to the quality and dose of the radiation. High-energy radiation can relatively reduce skin reactions, but individual differences are also very important factors. Different patients may have completely different skin reactions under the same conditions and the same dose.

2. Systemic adverse reactions: Due to the intake of radiation, the human body will have systemic abnormal reactions, such as fatigue, dizziness, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, insomnia or drowsiness. For most patients, the blood picture or liver and kidney function has no significant effect. For some sensitive people, it may also cause a decrease in white blood cells and platelets. For patients with poor liver function or HAA-positive liver surface or cirrhosis, it may cause liver damage, so special attention should be paid.

3. Acute radiation reaction of the parotid gland: within the first 1-2 days after the start of radiation, the patient will complain of swelling and pain in the parotid gland area on the irradiated side. This is due to acute congestion of the parotid gland tissue caused by radiation. The swelling generally does not require treatment and will subside on its own after 3-4 irradiations.

After radiotherapy, the mandibular temporal joint of the head and neck may be dysfunctional, and sometimes it may be difficult to open the mouth and the neck movement may be limited. In order to prevent these complications, during radiotherapy, you should do some appropriate activities according to your physical condition, such as deep breathing, outdoor walking, slow rotation of the left and right hands in front and behind the neck, mouth opening exercises such as holding a small round plastic bottle or a smooth small log in the mouth, and massage the mandibular temporal joint, so as to improve your quality of life.