Is stage 3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma serious? How to treat it?

Is stage 3 nasopharyngeal cancer serious? How is it treated?

1. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most common tumors in my country, ranking first among head and neck tumors. It is most common in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan and other provinces. In the early stage of clinical manifestation, blood may appear in the mucus; if the tumor grows and compresses the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube, it may cause symptoms of otitis media such as tinnitus, stuffy ears and hearing loss; 60% of patients seek medical treatment because of swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

2. Stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma is already in the middle and late stages, indicating that the tumor has metastasized to distant sites, the stage is late, and the prognosis is slightly poor. Squamous cell carcinoma is more common in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. At this time, the situation is very serious.

3. For the treatment of stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a comprehensive treatment method that mainly uses radiotherapy and combines it with drug therapy can be considered. Chemotherapy can be performed before, during or after radiotherapy according to the patient's specific situation. Currently, the most common method is to combine radiotherapy with chemotherapy.

4. After chemotherapy for NPC patients, many chemotherapy drugs can change the patient's taste and smell. What kind of changes occur depends on the individual. Strangely, sweet foods may taste sour, and sour foods may taste sweet. Meat may taste a little bitter because it releases proteins in the mouth. Sometimes after chemotherapy, you will feel a persistent metallic taste in your mouth, which will naturally affect your eating. The change in taste may not last long, but making some adjustments in diet will greatly improve it.