Clinical presentation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a prevalent disease in certain geographical locations especially in South East Asia. The majority of patients will present with complaints of nasal symptoms, aural as well as neck mass. Other clinical manisfestations are also possible if the disease has spread to the surrounding structures, with the involvement of multiple cranial nerve palsies. Since sometimes nasal complaints can be subtle, a high index of suspicion is crucial. The choice of treatment for NPC is chemoradiation either in a single mode or concurrently. Of note, patients also experience numerous complications from chemoradiation that impairs quality of life.