Syncope as the Initial Manifestation of Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Case Report

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

Man-Qing Luo¹  Mao-Qing Lin¹  Kai-Yang Lin¹  Xue-Qin Lin¹  Si-Cheng Zhang¹  Yan-Song Guo¹  Li-Wei Zhang¹ 

[1] Department of Cardiology, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China;Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fujian Cardiovascular Institute, Fujian Provincial Center for Geriatrics, Fujian Provincial Clinical Research Center for Severe Acute Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuzhou, China;

关键词: syncope;    nasopharyngeal carcinoma;    carotid sinus syndrome;    diagnosis;    case report;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fcvm.2021.796653

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Carotid sinus syndrome is a principal cause of syncope in the elderly. Syncope, associated with carotid sinus syndrome which is secondary to metastasis of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, rarely occurs. The current study reported a 66-year-old woman, who presented with a history of frequent and recurrent syncope as the initial symptom, and was eventually diagnosed with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The positron emission tomography scan demonstrated a diagnosis of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma with involvement in carotid sheath space, and nasopharyngeal biopsy revealed non-keratinized nasopharyngeal carcinoma. After diagnosis and treatment, the patient had no recurrence of syncope. In summary, our case study suggests that great importance should be attached to potential intrinsic causes of syncope especially in the case of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, as it is an insidious malignancy which needs to be precisely identified.

【 授权许可】

CC BY