Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications
Background. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of NPC presenting with headache as the primary or sole symptom. Methods. The authors retrospectively identified 14 cases of NPC with headache as the initial presentation between 2003 and 2008. Headache characteristics, tumor staging,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/2012/143829 |
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| author | Yi-Lun Lee Ching-Yin Ho |
| author_facet | Yi-Lun Lee Ching-Yin Ho |
| author_sort | Yi-Lun Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of NPC presenting with headache as the primary or sole symptom. Methods. The authors retrospectively identified 14 cases of NPC with headache as the initial presentation between 2003 and 2008. Headache characteristics, tumor staging, and treatment outcomes were assessed. Results. Most patients had either T4 (n=12) or T3 (n=1) tumor. The average duration of headaches prior to NPC diagnosis was 7.9 months. The location of the headaches was most commonly described as temporal or parietal with various pain patterns. Six patients (43%) experienced unilateral headache during attacks while the remaining patients reported bilateral or diffuse pain. Of the 14 patients, 10 (71%) experienced significant improvement in head pain during or after the treatment; most of them reported relief shortly after chemoradiation was initiated. The 5-year overall survival of these patients was similar to that of other NPC patients. Conclusion. Headache can be the only symptom of NPC. A timely diagnosis, albeit challenging to physicians, provides good outcomes in terms of both pain relief and tumor control. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bad726293dce48729429c757c04407b8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-bad726293dce48729429c757c04407b82025-02-03T01:33:06ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2012-01-01201210.1100/2012/143829143829Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical ImplicationsYi-Lun Lee0Ching-Yin Ho1Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 11217, TaiwanDepartment of Otolaryngology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 11217, TaiwanBackground. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of NPC presenting with headache as the primary or sole symptom. Methods. The authors retrospectively identified 14 cases of NPC with headache as the initial presentation between 2003 and 2008. Headache characteristics, tumor staging, and treatment outcomes were assessed. Results. Most patients had either T4 (n=12) or T3 (n=1) tumor. The average duration of headaches prior to NPC diagnosis was 7.9 months. The location of the headaches was most commonly described as temporal or parietal with various pain patterns. Six patients (43%) experienced unilateral headache during attacks while the remaining patients reported bilateral or diffuse pain. Of the 14 patients, 10 (71%) experienced significant improvement in head pain during or after the treatment; most of them reported relief shortly after chemoradiation was initiated. The 5-year overall survival of these patients was similar to that of other NPC patients. Conclusion. Headache can be the only symptom of NPC. A timely diagnosis, albeit challenging to physicians, provides good outcomes in terms of both pain relief and tumor control.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/2012/143829 |
| spellingShingle | Yi-Lun Lee Ching-Yin Ho Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications |
| title_full | Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications |
| title_fullStr | Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications |
| title_short | Headache as the Sole Symptom of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implications |
| title_sort | headache as the sole symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its clinical implications |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/2012/143829 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yilunlee headacheasthesolesymptomofnasopharyngealcarcinomaanditsclinicalimplications AT chingyinho headacheasthesolesymptomofnasopharyngealcarcinomaanditsclinicalimplications |