The probability of diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in patients with only adult-onset otitis media with effusion.

This study tried to assess the probability of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) being present in adults with only otitis media with effusion (OME) and evaluate the necessity of nasopharyngeal biopsy in Taiwanese adults with only OME. The clinical features of patients with known OME were analyzed and the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in adults with only OME was assessed. The clinical features of 36 adults with OME but without other symptoms and signs suggestive of NPC who presented to the Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology between December 1995 and February 1997 were analyzed. Two of these patients had biopsy-proven non-keratinizing carcinomas. OME was caused by upper respiratory infection in 8 patients (22.2%), chronic paranasal sinusitis in 5 (13.9%), allergic rhinitis in 5 (13.9%), NPC in 2 (5.6%), other etiologies in 5 (13.9%) and by unknown etiologies in 11 (30.5%). The incidence of NPC in adults with OME but no other symptoms and signs suggestive of NPC was 5.6% (2 out of 36 patients). It was higher than other reports because NPC has a high prevalence in Taiwan. Therefore, biopsy of the post-nasal space in adults with only OME when NPC is strongly suspected is necessary for the early diagnosis of NPC in Taiwan. We conclude that Taiwanese adults with only OME for which the cause is unclear should be subjected to an examination and biopsy of the nasopharynx to exclude NPC.