Affiliations 

  • 1 Otorhinolaryngology Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 88300 Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia. Electronic address: tingkangni@gmail.com
  • 2 Otorhinolaryngology Department, University Malaya Medical Centre, 46200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Auris Nasus Larynx, 2019 Jun;46(3):469-473.
PMID: 30049634 DOI: 10.1016/j.anl.2018.07.002

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a neoplasm commonly found in population of South East Asia. The mainstay of treatment is high dose irradiation. Complications from radiotherapy are not uncommon especially to those nearby structures such as vertebrae and spinal cord. A 57 year-old gentleman with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who was treated with chemo-radiation (total of 35 fractions,70Gy) presented to us 6 months post therapy with bilateral nasal discharge and progressive neck stiffness. Nasoendoscopy showed inflamed nasophayngeal mucosa and Computed Tomography (CT) brain and cervical spine showed retropharyngeal and anterior epidural collection with extension into atlantoaxial bone and spinal cord compression. Histopathological specimen revealed features of chronic inflammations with multiple actinomycetes colonies. Our patient suffered severe neck stiffness and loss of sensations on both upper limbs. He was treated conservatively with Halo vest and intravenous antibiotics for 8 weeks and recovered fully. Irradiation in NPC is known to cause devastating complications to cervical spine such as osteoradionecrosis, osteomyelitis. It also renders tissues hypoxic and risk of getting rare infection like actinomycosis. This report can represent a great diagnostic and therapeutic challenge with differentials of tumor recurrence, osteoradionecrosis or osteomyelitis. Patients must be regularly followed up to look for possible cervical complications as a result from irradiation, to prevent devastating outcome or prognosis.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.