What to do if you have a sore throat after radiotherapy and chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Sore throat after radiotherapy and chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma may be caused by side effects of radiotherapy, acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, etc. General treatment and drug treatment can be adopted according to different causes.

1. Side effects of radiotherapy: When nasopharyngeal carcinoma is treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the radiation irradiates the nasopharynx, which may cause some damage to the local area. It may also be due to the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Generally, after stopping radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the symptoms will gradually ease. You should pay attention to drinking more water and avoid eating irritating foods. If the pain is severe, you can take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as prescribed by the doctor, such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, acetaminophen tablets, etc., which will help relieve the pain.

2. Acute pharyngitis: Since the body's immunity is relatively poor after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is easy to be invaded by pathogens, such as after being infected with a virus, it may cause obvious pain, which worsens when swallowing. If it is caused by a viral infection, the doctor can guide you to take antiviral drugs, such as antiviral oral liquid, Shuanghuanglian oral liquid, etc.

3. Acute tonsillitis: It may be caused by low immunity, viral or bacterial infection, which can cause redness, swelling and pain in the throat. If it is a viral infection, you can take some heat-clearing and fire-removing drugs as prescribed by the doctor, such as Lanqin oral liquid, Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid, etc. If it is a bacterial infection, you can take antibiotics, such as cefixime tablets, amoxicillin capsules, etc.

In addition, it may be caused by other reasons, such as reflux esophagitis, tumor compression, etc. If the pain is obvious, it is recommended to go to the hospital in time and cooperate with the doctor for treatment after finding out the cause.