Can the mucus from nasopharyngeal cancer be contagious?

Is the mucus from nasopharyngeal cancer contagious?

1. Genetic factors: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma may be a disease associated with polygenic genetic factors.

2. Environmental factors: Eating too much salted fish, bacon, and pickled foods containing nitrosamines can induce nasopharyngeal cancer. Drinking water has high nickel and lead content, and relatively low zinc, copper, and cadmium content. Rice has high nickel content, and low molybdenum, chromium, lead, and cadmium content. Changes in these trace elements may also be related to the occurrence of nasopharyngeal cancer.

3. Epstein-Barr virus: Epstein-Barr virus particles were found in lymphoblastoid cell lines isolated from nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma exists in the body. The titer of Epstein-Barr virus antibodies is high, especially in severe cases. As the disease recovers, the antibody titer decreases, indicating that Epstein-Barr virus is closely related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

So what are the ways in which nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasizes?

1. Direct spread

The upward expansion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma can invade and destroy the skull base bones, the most common being damage to the foramen ovale. The butterfly's sella can be destroyed in the later stage, and the butterfly's sella can be destroyed through the ruptured foramen, with corresponding symptoms of cranial nerves II to VI. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma can invade the oropharynx, palatine tonsils, and tongue root, invade the nasal cavity and orbit forward, invade the cervical spine backward, and invade the Eustachian tube outward to the middle ear.

2. Lymphatic metastasis

The nasopharyngeal mucosa has abundant lymphatic vessels, so nasopharyngeal carcinoma can metastasize to the lymph nodes. About half of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients see doctors because of swollen cervical lymph nodes. First, it metastasizes to the posterior pharyngeal wall lymph nodes, then to the deep neck lymph nodes, and rarely to the superficial neck lymph nodes. Cervical lymph node metastasis is usually on the same side, followed by bilateral, and rarely to the opposite side.

3. Hematogenous metastasis

Advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma often metastasizes to the liver, lungs, and bones, followed by the kidneys, adrenal glands, and pancreas. When these organs become unwell, the possibility of cancer metastasis should be considered.