What are the symptoms of late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma and what should I eat?

What are the symptoms of advanced nasopharyngeal cancer?

Symptoms of advanced nasopharyngeal cancer include:

1. Tinnitus, hearing loss, tumor infiltration, and Eustachian tube compression cause negative pressure in the tympanic cavity.

2. Headache is the most common symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, often manifested as unilateral persistent pain, mostly on the top of the face.

3. Nasal congestion After the tumor invades the nasal cavity, obvious nasal congestion symptoms may appear.

4. When nasopharyngeal cancer invades the eye socket or nerves related to the eyeball, visual impairment, exophthalmos, diplopia and restricted eye movement may occur.

5. Bloody mucus or nasal obstruction. Since the blood vessels in the nasopharyngeal cavity are relatively fragile and the surface of the tumor is often covered with numerous membranes, there is a symptom of bloody mucus, which is one of the early symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In severe cases, a large amount of nasal obstruction may occur. Bloody mucus often occurs in the morning after getting up, and bloody mucus is discharged from the mouth. The amount of blood is not large, and it is often neglected by patients or is mistaken for hemoptysis and treated in the respiratory department. This symptom is more common in patients with ulcers or cauliflower-shaped tumors on the surface.

6. Ptosis and fixed eyeballs: related to oculomotor nerve damage. Vision loss or disappearance is related to optic nerve damage or orbital cone invasion. Hoarseness and dysphagia are related to vagus nerve and glossopharyngeal nerve damage.

Because nasopharyngeal cancer patients are affected by the disease, have heavy psychological burdens, poor appetite, and low resistance, their family members should be guided to encourage them to eat and give them high-protein, high-vitamin, low-fat, easily digestible foods, such as beans, milk, fungi, carrots, etc.