Nasopharyngeal cancer – Symptoms and treatment options

Nasopharyngeal cancer is a very rare type of cancer affecting the nasopharynx. It is important to know the symptoms, causes, diagnostic procedures and treatment options in order to be well informed on this type of cancer.

Normally, this cancer is confused with other kinds of cancer that also affect the area such as oesophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer. NPC varies significantly from other types of cancers of the neck and head in terms of causes, occurrence, clinical behavior, and treatment. This cancer is more common in several regions of Africa and East Asia than other parts of the world. 

Nasopharyngeal cancer - Signs and symptoms 

It is not easy to identify nasopharyngeal cancer as the symptoms are much similar to various other less serious health conditions. A lot of people with this cancer do not show any symptoms until cancer reaches an advanced stage.

Major symptoms include:

·         Hearing loss (generally in one ear)

·         Lump in the neck

·         Tinnitus

·         Stuffy or blocked nose

·         Nosebleeds 

If you develop symptoms that worry you, you must see your general physician right away, especially if the condition doesn’t improve after several weeks. While most of the times these symptoms are not likely to be a result of NPC, it is good to get them checked. 

How nasopharyngeal cancer is treated

A range of treatments are available for those suffering from NPC. A few treatments are standard and a few are tested in clinical trials. If a person is diagnosed with NPC, he or she will be taken care of by a team of various specialists that work together. The team will discuss with the patient about the best treatment option in his or her case. 

Major treatment options for NPC are:

Radiotherapy – Radiation is used to destroy cancer cells

Chemotherapy –Medication is used to kill the cancer cells 

In most of the cases, a combination of these two treatments is used. Surgery is generally not used to treat NPC as it is not easy for surgeons to gain access to the affected area. If diagnosed in early stages, there are ample chances for the patient to get complete cure from this type of cancer. 

To detect NPC at an early stage and save the life of a person, it is ideal to undergo NP Screen test, a highly valued and standard test for diagnosing NPC.

Screening Tests To Detect Cancer

Cancer does not cause any kind of symptoms. Therefore, one should have screening tests performed to diagnose cancer at an early stage. Only then, the condition will be cured. 

How is cancer diagnosed?

If a patient has a sign that he or she might have cancer, the physician will perform a physical exam and will ask about the medical history of the patient. Besides, the physician will order for various exams and tests for cancer detection.  These tests may include imaging procedures that generate pictures of the areas inside the body; endoscopy that allows the physician to have a look inside certain organs directly, and lab tests. In most of the cases, the physician also orders a biopsy to check for cancerous cells. 

Screening tests help in detecting cancer at a very early stage so that successful treatment for cancer is geared immediately. If symptoms start to appear, it means that cancer has already grown and has started to spread. This makes cancer more difficult to treat and cure. 

There are different types of cancer screening tests. They are:

Physical exam - It involves examining the body to verify normal signs of health or signs of illness such as lumps or something that is likely to be odd. 

Lab tests – Laboratory tests involve a series of medical procedures like blood test, urine test, sample tissue test, and tests that involve various other substances in the body.

Imaging procedures – It includes X-ray, CT scan, PET scan and other similar procedures. 

Genetic tests - It looks for particular gene mutations that are connected to a few types of cancer.

The worst aspect of these cancer screening tests is that they are risky at times. A few of them pose potential risks as they do not convey the exact message. It is important to know of the risks involved in these tests and whether they have been proven to minimize the chances of the patient dying from the disease or not. 

What’s more, in case of some cancer screening tests, false negative test results and false-positive test results are also possible! Therefore, one should rely on a proven test for cancer detection such as the NP Screen kit.