What to do if you suspect nasopharyngeal cancer

The incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer in China is so high that it is reasonable to suspect that you have nasopharyngeal cancer. Below I will introduce to you the symptoms of suspected nasopharyngeal cancer.

Common symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer include:

1. Bleeding: mainly blood in the posterior nasal ligament or bloody nose. At the beginning, it is often a small amount of blood, which is easy to be ignored. When the amount of bleeding is large, the disease is often in the middle or late stage.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck: Many nasopharyngeal cancer patients often seek medical attention because they accidentally feel a "lump" on their neck. This "lump" is actually a swollen lymph node. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck of nasopharyngeal cancer patients are often misdiagnosed as inflammation. For neck lumps that do not shrink after anti-inflammatory treatment or even continue to grow rapidly, especially those that are hard, have poor mobility, and are fused together into a mass without pain, you need to seek medical attention in time.

As the saying goes, early detection and early treatment, if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible. If you are really diagnosed, go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible, so that you can control the disease.