How does nasopharyngeal cancer 'deceive' you?

Very few or even no symptoms or symptoms that are not clear, making it easy for you to mistake them for common diseases, is the way the "death notice" disease called nasopharyngeal cancer uses to "deceive" you in order to reduce your chances of survival.

The danger comes from the “silent killer”

Unlike other specific diseases such as cardiovascular disease, dermatology or respiratory tract infections, nasopharyngeal cancer is often difficult to detect early because the disease progresses silently, with almost no significant symptoms in the early stages and only becomes severe in the final stages, leaving the patient unable to react.

This disease is ranked first among common cancers in the head and neck area and is also one of the 10 most common cancers in Vietnam with a fairly high incidence rate of up to 12%. More notably, among those infected, up to 70% of cases discover the disease when it is in the final stage, greatly shortening their chances of regaining their lives.

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Therefore, screening for nasopharyngeal cancer every 6 months is a bright direction that doctors encourage, especially for high-risk groups including men aged 30-55; people who smoke or drink a lot of alcohol; people who live and work in polluted, dusty environments; people who often eat salty foods, fermented foods, and processed foods; couples who enjoy oral sex...

Only regular cancer screening during annual health check-ups can help you detect this dangerous disease early, as mentioned above, when its symptoms are almost non-existent and not specific.

When the illusion of a "big tiger" is a "little cat"

Initially, when newly formed, nasopharyngeal cancer either shows almost no symptoms, or will "borrow" the symptoms of some common diseases related to the respiratory tract such as flu, pharyngitis, sinusitis or internal medicine diseases of the nervous system, blood vessels, causing patients to often neglect, be subjective and ignore.

Early symptoms that can be easily confused include a sore throat, stuffy nose, sometimes nosebleeds, tinnitus, blurred vision, migraines, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

If you feel a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and a stuffy nose or runny nose, you can easily mistake it for a cold or sore throat. If you have swollen lymph nodes in your neck, it's probably just pharyngitis. After taking medicine for a few days, everything will be fine?! Even if you suddenly have a nosebleed from time to time, many people still consider it a normal symptom due to internal heat or overwork...

Nasopharyngeal cancer - the silent killer.

Although these symptoms are easily confused with other ear, nose and throat diseases, if you pay close attention, you can still see the difference because the common point of nasopharyngeal cancer is that the signs of the disease often arise on the same side (for example, migraine, stuffy nose on one side), get worse over time (for example, initially only stuffy nose, difficulty swallowing, later nosebleeds, swollen lymph nodes in the neck) and treatment with medication is ineffective (medication can temporarily relieve the symptoms of the disease but after 3-4 weeks of treatment, it still cannot be completely cured, or the disease is cured for a while and then relapses).

When the disease reaches the metastatic stage (final stage), the symptoms will develop quickly and become clearer than ever: enlarged lymph nodes and spread to other locations, loss of sensation in the throat, nasal discharge with blood, severe headache, hearing loss, visual disturbances... This is also the time when the possibility of curing the disease or prolonging your life for another 5 years after treatment is increasingly less, only at 10-40% while if detected early, the 5-year survival rate can reach over 90%.

Therefore, you need to carefully observe any unusual signs, even the smallest ones, of your body, combined with regular cancer screening to detect the disease early and treat it promptly, avoiding the situation of mistaking a "big tiger" for a "kitten", pushing yourself closer to death without knowing it.

In addition, adopting a scientific lifestyle without tobacco or alcohol, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and having healthy sex also helps you and your family avoid the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer and many other serious diseases.

According to Suckhoedoisong