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 University 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 commonly affected CNs were the VIth and the Vth, in that order. The prognostic significance of this finding is obvious, because early diagnosis and treatment is vital in a cancer patient. This study includes retrospective analysis of 124 patients with NPC. The patients were investigated with respect to clinical and radiological diagnosis and outcome. Our results also show that CN involvement in NPC usually requires careful neuro-otological examination. It is suggested that increased knowledge and understanding of the disease among neurosurgeons, neurologists and ENT surgeons would improve the prognosis of patients with NPC.