What to do in the acute phase after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma? Is there any good treatment method?

What should I do in the acute phase after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma? What are some good treatments?

1. Frequent nasal washing in the acute phase after radiotherapy can prevent adhesion. Since the nasopharyngeal mucosa becomes congested and swollen after irradiation, a nasal mucosal reaction similar to the oral mucosa occurs. Nasopharyngeal cancer patients often experience dry nasal mucosa, nasal congestion, increased and sticky nasal secretions, which can affect rest and sleep in severe cases. Many people believe that this is an inevitable sequela of radiotherapy.

2. Anti-edema and nasal irrigation can effectively prevent nasal adhesion: do it three times a day, once in the morning before radiotherapy and before going to bed. First rinse with warm water, then rinse with light saline to remove secretions on the surface of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, reduce radiotherapy reactions, and increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation.

3. Since most of the pathological examinations are poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, the recognized first-choice treatment method is radiotherapy. Conventional radiotherapy has many complications, and three-dimensional conformal or intensity-modulated radiotherapy is recommended. The total irradiation dose to the nasopharynx is 66-70Gy/6.5-7 weeks, the radical dose for patients with positive cervical lymph nodes is 56-60Gy, and the preventive irradiation dose for patients with negative cervical lymph nodes is 46-50Gy. During radiotherapy, chemotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine and immunotherapy can be used to improve the efficacy. For some patients with advanced disease and recurrence after radiotherapy, as well as a few adenocarcinomas that are less sensitive to radiation and well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, comprehensive treatment methods such as chemotherapy and surgery can be used.