What are the typical symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

What are the typical symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

Symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma include respiration nosebleed, tinnitus, hearing loss, ear blockage, headache, diplopia, facial numbness, nasal congestion, etc.

The specific clinical manifestations are as follows:

1. Respiration of blood in nose: Bleeding symptoms may occur in the early stage, manifested as blood in sputum after suctioning the nose or blood in the nose when blowing the nose. In the early stage, there is only a small amount of blood in the sputum or runny nose, sometimes none. In the late stage, there is more bleeding and nosebleeds may occur.

2. Tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of blockage in the ear: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma occurs in the lateral wall of the nasopharynx. When the lateral fossa or the Eustachian tube opens the upper lip, the tumor compresses the Eustachian tube, which can cause unilateral tinnitus or hearing loss, and catarrhal otitis media. Unilateral tinnitus or hearing loss and a blockage in the ear are one of the symptoms of early nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

3. Headache: It is a common symptom and can be the first symptom or the only symptom. In the early stage, the headache location is not fixed and is intermittent. In the late stage, it is a persistent migraine with a fixed location. The cause of this may be caused by neurovascular reflex or stimulation of the first branch of the trigeminal nerve in early stage patients. In the late stage, it is often caused by tumors destroying the skull base and spreading inside the skull to affect the cranial nerves.

4. Diplopia: Due to the invasion of the abducens nerve by the tumor, double vision often occurs. Invasion of the trochlear nerve often leads to inward strabismus and diplopia, which accounts for 6.2% to 19% and is often damaged at the same time as the trigeminal nerve.

5. Facial numbness: refers to numbness of the facial skin, clinical examination shows pain and decreased or absent tactile sensation. Tumor invasion of the cavernous sinus often leads to damage to the first or second trigeminal nerve; the third trigeminal nerve usually causes numbness or paresthesia of the skin in the front of the auricle, temporal region, cheek, lower lip and chin.