Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare tumor arising from the epithelium of the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the upper portion of the pharynx — a 5-inch tube that extends from behind the nose to the top of the windpipe and esophagus in your neck. It is a poorly differentiated carcinoma that may appear at any site in the upper respiratory tract, but most commonly, in the lateral wall of the nasopharynx around the ostium of the Eustachian tube – the fossa of Rosenmuller. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma may occur at any age and as presented above, occurs much more frequently in the Chinese population. The incidence of second primary malignancy in patients with NPC appears to be less than that of other head and neck cancers, which are usually related to smoking. The nasopharynx has a cuboidal shape. The lateral walls are formed by the eustachian tube and the fossa of Rosenmuller. Men are more likely than women to develop nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It’s most commonly diagnosed in people from age 30 to age 60, though nasopharyngeal carcinoma can also occur in older adults and in children. In Taiwan, nasopharyngeal carcinoma accounts for about 5% of all cancers and 56% of all head and neck cancers.
In the pediatric population, most nasopharyngeal malignancies are rhabdomyosarcomas or lymphomas. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma rarely comes to medical attention before it has spread to regional lymph nodes. It may be associated with the Epstein-Barr virus, with exposure to smoke or to chemical pollutants, and in California and Malaysia, to the ingestion of salted fish. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma causes signs and symptoms that may suggest a variety of diseases and conditions. That fact, combined with the hidden location of the nasopharynx, means most people aren’t diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma until the cancer has spread. All NPCs are associated with EBV-latent gene products, unlike other head and neck carcinomas. About 80% of NPCs overexpress the BCL2 product. These findings are consistent and may contribute to the development of NPC by inhibiting apoptosis. Symptoms and signs at presentation include painless, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, nasal obstruction, epistaxis, diminished hearing, tinnitus, recurrent otitis media, cranial nerve dysfunction, sore throat, and headache. Unlike other cancers of the head and neck region where surgery is preferred, early stage NPC is mainly treated with radiotherapy.
Causes of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
The common causes and risk factor’s of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma include the following:
Epstein-Barr virus.
Preserved meats.
Chinese or Asian ancestry.
Contact with moisture from the mouth and throat of a person who is infected with the virus.
Smoking.
High alcohol consumption.
Salt-cured foods.
Having a family member with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Symptoms of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Some sign and symptoms related to Nasopharyngeal carcinoma are as follows:
Neck swelling.
Hearing loss in one ear.
Headaches.
Nasal symptoms, including bleeding, obstruction, and discharge.
A sore throat.
Deafness and tinnitus.
Double vision.
A lump in the neck caused by a swollen lymph node.
Treatment of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Here is list of the methods for treating Nasopharyngeal carcinoma:
Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for carcinoma of the nasopharynx.
Chemotherapy may be used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Surgery is usually reserved for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes in the neck is the most common surgery for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Juliet Cohen writes articles for diseases treatment and online health tips. She also writes articles on rare skin disorders.
What are the symptoms for Lymphoma?
Specifically in women.
Answer
Lymphoma occurs inoccuously, often so harmlessly that it takes some time before you may realize that there is anything seriously wrong. Here is a list of the common symptoms of lymphoma. But you must remember that most of these symptoms are common with many harmless conditions. You should not panic if you have any of these symptoms. Consult your doctor, and he will be able to address most of your fears and doubts.
1. Painless lumps in your neck, armpits or groin
This is the most common symptom and often the only one. These are enlarged lymph nodes. Most people first notice these lumps while bathing or changing, or they may be first felt by your partner. All of the other symptoms that are given below should be present along with these enlarged nodes to be specific as a warning for lymphoma. Only an enlargement of nodes may not be specific for lymphoma. See the article Are enlarged nodes always a sign of lymphoma?
2. Weight loss
Weight loss usually occurs rapidly over a period of a few months for no known reason. Often an individual can lose ten to fifteen pounds over a couple of months.
3. Fever
Fever that is continuous or occurs intermittently over a period of time and doesn’t seem related to a chest or urinary infection should be a cause for you to consult a doctor. Fever that is related to node swellings occurs commonly with infections and many lymphomas are often mistaken as infections at the early stage. Occasionally, in those affected by Hodgkin lymphoma, a characteristic fever called Pel-Ebstein fever occurs.
4. Excessive sweating at night
This unique situation may be quite bothersome. You may wake up at night drenched in sweat without any apparent reason.
5. Itchiness all over your body
Another unique situation that is related to the secretion of some special chemicals from the lymphoma cells.
6. Loss of appetite
As lymphomas spread within your body and grow in size, many individuals feel a considerable loss in their appetite. Weight loss of more than 10% can be a matter of concern as it is a poor prognostic factor for lymphomas. See the article on B-symptoms of lymphoma.
7. A feeling of weakness
As cancer cells are always growing, they use up more of the body’s nutrients, leaving the body with less. This makes you feel weaker.
8. Breathlessness along with swelling of the face and neck
Rarely, when a lymphoma in the neck or chest grows very large, it may block the flow of some vessels and lead to a swelling of the face and neck along with a feeling of breathlessness.
As lymphomas can occur in any organ, may give rise to some unusual symptoms as well. A lymphoma in the stomach can cause pain in the abdomen, and a lymphoma in the brain can cause a headache or leg weakness.
General symptoms of lymphoma
Lymphoma is often first noticed as painless enlarged lymph nodes (adenopathy or lymphadenopathy). However, most of the time, enlarged lymph nodes do not mean lymphoma. Only a biopsy and subsequent pathology evaluations of the tissue can determine or exclude the diagnosis of lymphoma.
See Lymphadenopathy: Differential Diagnosis and Evaluation Robert Ferrer, M.D., M.P.H. – American Family Physician for an excellent description of lymphadenopathy, as well as the many benign causes of enlarge lymph nodes.
Symptoms can vary widely depending on the type of lymphoma, and where the lymphoma is actively growing. Symptoms related to bone marrow dysfunction, such as anemia (low red blood cell count), are not as common when the disease is first diagnosed, but are likely to present in later stages of the disease and also as side effect of some treatments. MALT lymphomas may present as an upset stomach; or a change in bowel movement could be caused by an enlarged lymph node.
Reporting symptoms: It can be difficult at times to identify the meaning of a symptom. Some symptoms may be common to certain stages of lymphoma and to specific treatments. But you may have or develop other medical conditions and illnesses that are unrelated to lymphoma, such as flu or an ulcer.
When informing your doctor about a symptom also describe:
1.
the intensity using a scale of 1 to 10
2.
for visible symptoms, describe the size and appearance
3.
when it started
4.
how long it has lasted
5.
if it waxes and wanes
6.
the medications and supplements you may be taking and when you started taking them
7.
how the symptom might change when you change position
8.
if the symptom is associated with meals or specific foods
9.
the time of day the symptom might be most intense
These and other like details can assist your doctor in identifying the possible cause or causes, or if further tests are warranted.
Also see our Symptoms Checklist (PDF)
Alphabetical List | B-Symptoms | Systemic Symptoms
Alphabetical list of common symptoms:
Unexplained and persi
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