Importance of cranial nerve involvement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A clinical study comprising 124 cases with special reference to clinical presentation and prognosis

A review of nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs) treated in the Hacettepe Unive rsity Hospitals is presented. One hundred twenty-four patients between the ages of 3 years and 72 years were managed in the period 1968-1992. Of these cases, 48 had only cranial nerve (CN) involvement on admission. The most c ommonly affected CNs were the VIth and the Vth, in that order. The prognost ic significance of this finding is obvious, because early diagnosis and tre atment is vital in a cancer patient. This study includes retrospective anal ysis of 124 patients with NPC. The patients were investigated with respect to clinical and radiological diagnosis and outcome. Our results also show t hat CN involvement in NPC usually requires careful neuro-otological examina tion. It is suggested that increased knowledge and understanding of the dis ease among neurosurgeons, neurologists and ENT surgeons would improve the p rognosis of patients with NPC.