When does middle ear effusion signify nasopharyngeal cancer?

AIM: To analyse the presenting symptoms of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma seen in Auckland, New Zealand, with emphasis on the significance of otological symptoms.

METHOD: The records of 85 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma seen in the department between 1980-93 were reviewed.

RESULTS

Twenty eight of patients were Pacific Island Polynesian, 21 caucasian, and 18 Chinese. The youngest patient was 11 years old. The most prominent symptoms were neck mass (53), deafness/otalgia (45), nasal obstruction (35) and epistaxis (30). The ear symptoms, representing middle ear effusion were evident for more than 9 months, on average, before a diagnosis was made. Most patients presented with multiple symptoms: 95% of patients had one or more of the above four cardinal symptoms. Only two patients presented with middle ear effusion alone: 95 of the patients with middle ear effusion had another, accompanying, cardinal symptom. Nineteen patients had cranial nerve involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Neck mass, deafness/otalgia, progressive nasal obstruction and epistaxis are the cardinal symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A persisting middle ear effusion in people over 10 years of age must be examined for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, if an accompanying cardinal symptom is also present, or develops.