(Available in Chinese version only) \u5e74\u5c46 40 \u7684\u674e\u5148\u751f\u524d\u4f86\u8a3a\u6240\u9032\u884c\u8eab\u9ad4\u6aa2\u67e5\uff0c\u539f\u672c\u7684\u9810\u7d04\u662f\u53bb\u5e74\u4e2d\uff0c\u5f8c\u4f86\u56e0\u75ab\u60c5\u5ef6\u5f8c\u4e86\u3002\u4ed6\u63d0\u8d77\u8fd1\u534a\u5e74\u4e0d\u77e5\u4f55\u6545\u7d93\u5e38\u6d41\u9f3b\u8840\uff1a\u300c\u91ab\u751f\uff0c\u5176\u5be6\u6211\u90fd\u7d93\u5e38\u9f3b\u585e\uff0c\u53ef\u80fd\u662f\u9f3b\u654f\u611f\uff0c\u6216\u8005\u5929\u6c23\u592a\u4e7e\u5427\uff01\u56e0\u70ba\u4e4b\u524d\u7d93\u5e38\u8981\u51fa\u5dee\uff0c\u4e0d\u904e\u901a\u5e38\u904e\u5e7e\u65e5\u4fbf\u6c92\u4e8b\u3002\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mr. Li believes that nosebleeds and nasal congestion are minor ailments, because most people always think of them as respiratory diseases or the onset of allergies, so it should be nothing serious! However, during the conversation, he also said that he had experienced tinnitus and earache in the past two weeks, and various signs pointed to the need to be alert for the onset of more serious diseases, such as nasopharyngeal cancer. According to the latest data from the Hong Kong Cancer Statistics Center, nasopharyngeal cancer ranked as the 8th most common cancer among men in Hong Kong in 2020, with the number of new cases reaching 535. Although the number of confirmed cases has dropped slightly in recent years, there are still many young cases in their prime, and the incidence rate in men is 2 to 3 times higher than in women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Symptoms are easily confused with respiratory diseases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The initial symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are mostly difficult to detect, especially the initial symptoms are very similar to respiratory diseases, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, blood in sputum, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck; or earache, tinnitus, hearing loss, etc. , most of the affected ears are unilateral. As the disease progresses, patients may experience headaches, facial numbness, blurred or double vision, difficulty swallowing, and a hoarse voice. The nasopharynx, which is located in the deepest part of the nasal cavity, is close to the top of the throat. Due to its hidden location, it is difficult to observe with the naked eye. It is necessary to go through specific examinations to determine whether there is any unusual situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to reports, many celebrities have also suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer, but fortunately there are many successful anti-cancer cases, including the 58-year-old Hong Kong veteran actor Cheung Tat-ming, 33-year-old Korean actor Kim Woo-bin, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eating habits of Hong Kong people may be the cause of disease<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At present, the exact cause of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is still unknown, but statistics show that the incidence rate in Guangdong is high, and the medical profession generally infers that it is related to eating habits, such as salted fish, preserved meat, preserved vegetables and other pickled foods that Hong Kong people like to eat; Part of the cause is related to infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is transmitted by droplets. Although most people have been infected, a small number of people may cause cell lesions and become sick after infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hereditary risk of nasopharyngeal cancer is high, so if anyone in your immediate family has suffered from this disease, you should consider receiving relevant examinations regularly. In addition, quitting bad habits, especially quitting smoking early, will naturally help reduce the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nasopharyngeal endoscopy is often used to diagnose the disease<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To diagnose nasopharyngeal carcinoma, nasopharyngeal endoscopy is the most commonly used method at present. The doctor will put a soft and flexible endoscopic catheter into the nasal cavity or oral cavity to check for abnormalities in the nasopharynx; , to take a sample of cells or tissue from the patient for a biopsy to look for unusual changes in the cells to determine the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Afterwards, the doctor will arrange for the patient to undergo relevant imaging examinations based on the situation to determine the stage of the cancer and whether it has spread, etc. The more commonly used examinations include: computed tomography (CT Scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET Scan), etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the blood test, it is mainly to test whether there is deoxyribonucleic acid (EBV-DNA) and antibody EBV (VCA)-IgA in the serum to assist in the detection of the disease, but the accuracy is not as good as nasopharyngeal endoscopy Therefore, it is generally only used as a preliminary preventive screening and cannot be used alone as a basis for the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early detection has high survival rate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of Li Sheng\u2019s case, after some consultation and examination, the author suspected that he might have nasopharyngeal carcinoma, so I decided to arrange a more detailed examination for him. The results showed that Li Sheng was suffering from the first stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Fortunately, he was discovered in time and the treatment progressed smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to statistics, the 5-year survival rate of patients with early nasopharyngeal carcinoma exceeds 90%! Therefore, early detection and treatment are the key to overcoming the disease. There are many ways to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The doctor will consider the patient's cancer stage and personal condition to formulate an appropriate treatment plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Radiation therapy (commonly known as "electrotherapy") is currently the main method for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. For early stage patients, radiotherapy alone may be able to effectively eliminate cancer. In recent years, Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) has been widely used, which can more accurately control the distribution of radiation dose, concentrate high-dose radiation on the tumor, and reduce the impact on surrounding normal tissues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For patients whose disease is in the middle and late stages, doctors will often recommend the combination of the above treatments with other treatments, including chemotherapy (commonly known as "chemotherapy") and surgery. Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to inhibit and destroy rapidly dividing cancer cells, thereby shrinking the size of the cancer and reducing its spread. According to relevant research, using chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time may improve the effect of radiotherapy and effectively deal with the disease; if the cancer cannot be eliminated or recurrence occurs after the above treatments, the doctor will consider surgical resection of the residual cancer and the affected patients. Affected cervical lymph nodes, try to remove cancer cells for the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern medical technology has greatly improved, and while patients\u2019 chances of recovery have increased, the side effects and sequelae of treatment have also been reduced. However, there are certain risks associated with each treatment, such as otitis externa, dermatitis, hearing loss, dry mouth and other sequelae of varying degrees. Therefore, patients still need active nursing care and regular follow-up visits during the recovery period to minimize the negative impact on the body. Lightest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Yongbai Su, Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners<\/p>\n\n\n\n