Can nasopharyngeal carcinoma be seen with the naked eye?

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been gradually understood by countless people today. At present, patients should not be too nervous when treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The following editor will introduce to you, can nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumors be seen with the naked eye?

Due to the hidden anatomical location of the nasopharynx, the early symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are atypical, and clinical diagnosis is easily delayed, so special vigilance should be exercised. Its common symptoms are:

1. In the early stage of nasal symptoms, there may be blood on the nose due to retraction or blowing, but sometimes there is no such symptoms and the patient does not pay attention to it. As the tumor grows, it may block the nostrils and cause nasal congestion, starting from one side and then both sides.

2. Patients with ear symptoms whose tumors occur in the pharyngeal recess may compress or block the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube in the early stage, leading to tinnitus, ear closure and hearing loss.

3. Swollen cervical lymph nodes Cervical lymph node metastasis is relatively common, with 60% of cases presenting with swollen cervical lymph nodes as the first symptom. Swollen lymph nodes metastasize to the upper lymph nodes deep in the neck, which progressively increase in size, are hard and immobile, and are not tender. They start on one side and then develop to both sides.

4. Cranial nerve symptoms The tumor invades the skull through the pharyngeal recess on the affected side from the foramen rupture, often invading cranial nerves V and VI first, and then affecting cranial nerves II, III, and IV, causing symptoms of cranial nerve involvement such as headache, facial numbness, limited eye abduction, ptosis, etc. Direct invasion of the tumor or compression of metastatic lymph nodes can cause paralysis of the soft palate IX, X, XI, and XII, choking, hoarseness, and tongue deviation, etc., which occur during cranial nerve damage.

Most nasopharyngeal carcinomas originate from the epithelium, and a few originate from the glandular epithelium. More than 95% are squamous cell carcinomas, which are divided into good, medium and poor in terms of differentiation, with poor differentiation accounting for more than 85%. Undifferentiated carcinoma refers to a carcinoma with an extremely low degree of differentiation, which often needs to be differentiated from malignant lymphoma.

Most nasopharyngeal cancers grow behind the nasal cavity and above the pharynx and cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Through the above introduction, patients can have a clearer understanding of the situation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.