Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: The Introduction
In Indonesia, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a disease most common malignancy found in the field of ENT diseases. In the order of 5 malignant tumors with the highest frequency, it occupies fourth place after cervical cancer, breast and skin. But until now the handling is still a problem. The problem was the delay in treatment of patients to come. Most patients come when they have been in the treatment of advanced stage, where the tumor has spread to surrounding tissue.
This is the greatest difficulty to get the perfect treatment. Location of the nasopharynx is hidden and early symptoms are not unique, has resulted in the diagnosis is often delayed which causes high mortality. Like other malignancies, the cause of this disease has not been established, so prevention is difficult. That should be emphasized is the effort towards early diagnosis, i.e. by increasing the awareness of doctors and provide information to the public about this disease, so that people know the signs of early-stage disease and where they should go to get the right help and fast.
Hearing loss is one of the early symptoms of this disease, along with other early symptoms of a clogged nose or bloody nose, but these symptoms often do not occur to doctors that the cause is a malignant tumor in the nasopharynx, so after the disease has advanced in the state, nasopharyngeal carcinoma detected.
Hearing loss is sometimes accompanied complaints in the ear feeling full, ear rings or pain in the ear. Many writers say, that the location of the beginning of the growing malignant nasopharynx most frequently in the fossa Rosemuller, because the area is an area of epithelial transition. In its spread, tumors can urge Tuba Eustachius and disrupt the movement of Levator Palatini, which serves to open the tube, so disturbed tubal function and result in hearing loss, a decrease in the conduction type of hearing which is reversible.
In the early stages of disease, treatment with radiation alone can provide the healing rate is high enough. While in an advanced stage, require additional treatment which requires no small cost. In some places there are piles of lymphoid network. Lymphoid network located at the back of nasopharynx, called tonsalia faringea of Luschka or better known as adenoid. Around the fallopian Eustachius, heap Lymphoid network is called tonsila tubalisdri Gerlach. Laserum foramen is located 1 ½ - 2 centimeters right in the cranial Rosemullar fosses, so that the tumor can easily spread through this foramen into intracranial.
Nasopharynx malignancies a lot happen in Asia. Often there is some mistake in diagnosing because the symptoms are vague and the difficulty of examination nasopharynx. Early diagnosis to determine prognosis of patients, but quite hard to do, because nasopharynx hidden behind the veil of the ceiling and lies below the base of the skull and associated with many important areas in the skull and the lateral or the posterior neck. Because of the location of nasopharynx not easily be examined by those who are not experts, tumors are often discovered too late and often causes metastasis to the neck is more often found as the first symptom.
