This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Common features of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are:

  • bilateral cervical node enlargement - in one third of cases
  • nasal voice, epistaxis, possibly, nasal obstruction - in one third of cases
  • deafness from Eustachian tube involvement - in one fifth of cases

The exact presentation however, depends on the location and spread of the tumour. They may be grouped as:

  • features of local disease:
    • nasal - postnasal obstruction; unilateral or bilateral nasal obstruction; loss of smell; epistaxis; blood stained nasal discharge
    • aural - secretory or less commonly, suppurative otitis media; deafness; otalgia; tinnitus; rarely, ear discharge
    • orbital - proptosis; restricted eye movement; diplopia; impaired vision; rarely, blindness
    • pharyngeal - difficulty in speaking; dysphagia; excessive salivation; airway obstruction

  • neurologic - cranial nerve involvement at the skull base. Most commonly, III, IV and VI, and IX, X, XI and XII with trigeminal involvement

  • neck metastases - unilateral or bilateral, often asymmetrical, enlargement of the upper deep cervical lymph nodes

Constitutional features suggest advanced disease - pain; headache; nausea; vomiting; anorexia; and loss of body weight; in severe cases, cachexia


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.