What are the symptoms after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and what are the complications of radiotherapy?

What are the symptoms after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma? What are the complications of radiotherapy?

There are many side effects, such as mucosal damage, bone marrow suppression, leukopenia, etc.

Side effects associated with nutritional deficiencies include:

Radiotherapy to the head and neck can damage taste cells, causing a decrease or disappearance of the sense of taste, leading to loss of appetite; oral, esophageal, gastrointestinal, and mucosal congestion, edema, erosion, dysphagia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and in a few patients, gastrointestinal perforation; inhibiting the secretion of gastric acid and various proteases, and reducing gastrointestinal digestive function without causing electrolyte loss.

What are the complications of radiation therapy?

① Systemic reactions: including fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, loss of taste in the mouth, insomnia or drowsiness. Some patients may have changes in blood count, especially leukopenia.

② Local reactions: including skin, mucous membrane and salivary gland reactions, manifested as dry dermatitis or wet dermatitis. Topical use of 0.1 anti-inflammatory ointment based on ice talc or lanolin can cause mucous membrane reactions, manifested as congestion, edema, exudation and accumulation of nasopharyngeal mucosal secretions.