I often have a stuffy and runny nose and thought it was rhinitis, but after a checkup, I was diagnosed with cancer?

Review expert: Wang Xuejiang, professor at Capital Medical University

In life, we often encounter the trouble of nasal congestion and runny nose, especially when the seasons change and the air is dry, many people have this experience.

Most of the time, we would think that this is just a simple cold or rhinitis, and we would not intervene too much, and it would heal itself after a period of time. However, if the symptoms of nasal congestion persist, we need to pay attention to it. Long-term nasal congestion may be a warning sign of cancer!

A 95-year-old woman had a stuffy nose for 2 months and found out it was cancer

Recently, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Ms. Wang, who was born after 1995, developed unilateral nasal congestion two months ago. She thought it was a common cold and did not take it seriously. However, the symptoms did not improve after taking medicine. After going to the hospital for examination, it was found that Ms. Wang had an abnormal mass in the left nasopharynx and enlarged lymph nodes on both sides of the neck. She was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer.

This situation is not an isolated case. Previously, a 15-year-old boy had nasal congestion and runny nose for nearly half a year, and it happened to be the turn of spring and summer. He thought it was rhinitis and did not pay too much attention to it. As time passed, the "rhinitis" became worse, and the boy went to the hospital for treatment accompanied by his mother.

Doctor examining a boy

Under the perspective of nasal endoscopy, the doctor found a tumor in the right nasopharynx of the boy. After further systematic examination and tumor biopsy, the boy was finally diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer.

The terrible nasopharyngeal cancer

The nasopharynx is the area where the nasal cavity and the pharynx meet at the back and is part of the pharynx.

The location of the nasopharynx Source: "Health Road"

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an epithelial malignant tumor originating from the nasopharyngeal mucosa. It is a relatively rare but serious malignant tumor that mainly occurs in the top and side walls of the nasopharynx, especially the pharyngeal recesses.

Source: People's Health Because the early symptoms are similar to those of common rhinitis, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, etc., nasopharyngeal carcinoma is easily ignored or misdiagnosed, leading to worsening of the disease. People with a family history have a relatively higher risk of disease, but environmental factors, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and bad lifestyle habits (such as smoking and drinking) are also important pathogenic factors.

EB virus is closely related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Epstein-Barr virus is a DNA virus, belonging to the family Herpesviridae. It is a herpes virus that is tropic to human lymphocytes. In simple terms, humans are hosts for Epstein-Barr virus infection. Epstein-Barr virus is very susceptible and is mainly transmitted through close oral contact. Droplet transmission is not significant and can occasionally be transmitted through blood. After Epstein-Barr virus infection, it exists in the epithelial cells of the oropharynx for a long time and proliferates and is released into saliva, resulting in a large amount of Epstein-Barr virus in the saliva, which can enter the mouth of susceptible people and be transmitted through kissing, sharing tableware, sneezing, etc.

Epstein-Barr virus infection is closely related to diseases such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, infectious mononucleosis, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, more than 80% of Epstein-Barr virus tests are positive, but it is not a tumor marker but a tumor-related substance.

How to avoid EB virus infection?

1. Exercise moderately, pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and enhance immunity.

2. To prevent colds, wear a mask, maintain good nasopharyngeal hygiene, and avoid viral infections.

3. Seek medical attention promptly if you find blood in your mucus, regurgitated blood in sputum, stuffy ears, or unexplained neck swelling.

Clinical manifestations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma Source: Human Health

4. People in areas with a high incidence of NPC and those with a family history of NPC should undergo regular NPC screening to ensure early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Smoking causes nasopharyngeal cancer

In addition, the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma may also be related to smoking. Since the smoke inhaled during smoking directly contacts the nasal mucosa, it stimulates damage to the mucosal epithelial cells and promotes cell dysplasia, which has a carcinogenic effect and may induce nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Burning cigarettes contain nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. Long-term smoking, especially excessive smoking, can cause damage to the humoral and cellular immune functions of smokers, and have a certain causal relationship with the increased incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer in excessive smokers.

The number of people suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer in my country accounts for almost 50% of the world's total!

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma has obvious racial susceptibility and familial high incidence tendency. Almost half of the new nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients in the world are in China. South my country, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and other provinces, are high-incidence areas of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The incidence rate in Guangdong Province is as high as 30/100,000. In addition, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also showing a high incidence trend. Therefore, people in high-incidence areas should participate in regular physical examinations.

But people in the north, don’t let your guard down!

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma incidence Source: Guangdong Cancer Center