Pharyngeal tumors: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

Tumor-like formations2 include pathological processes and conditions that are characterized by some of the signs of natural tumors - growth, tendency to relapse after removal. Unlike true benign tumors, they are not prone to malignancy. The etiology of these neoplasms is usually known (trauma, chronic inflammatory process).

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is an excessive growth of squamous epithelium with penetration into the stroma. Epithelial proliferation is caused by increased reactivity of the regenerating epithelium during chronic inflammation and ulcerative processes.

These tumor-like changes in the epithelium in the nasopharynx are rare. They most often develop in males over 50 years of age.

Posterior rhinoscopy and digital examination reveal a dense, non-defined formation at the vault of the nasopharynx. The diagnosis can only be established based on the results of histological examination.

Oncocytic metaplasia and hyperplasia (oncocytosis) is a proliferative process in the glandular epithelium. Proliferation involves all glands or most of them. The nodular nature of oncocyte proliferation complicates differential diagnostics with oxyphilic adenoma. Like pseudo-epitheliomatous hyperplasia, such epithelial changes are rare; they are localized on the upper and lateral walls of the nasopharynx.

Benign lymphoid hyperplasia (adenoids) is a formation consisting of a type of erythrocyte-producing lymphoid tissue. The disease occurs mainly in children and is a hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil. The disease has a characteristic clinical picture, in which some signs are similar to the symptoms of other tumor-like formations and true tumors of this localization (impaired nasal breathing, hearing loss in one or both ears).

A nasopharyngeal cyst occurs extremely rarely. The clinical picture and appearance are characteristic - a round elastic formation with a smooth surface. Diagnosis of the cyst does not cause any particular difficulties. When puncturing the cyst, you can get a liquid, usually amber in color. Treatment is surgical.

Thornwald's disease is a congenital tumor-like formation of the nasopharynx, which is a sac of duplicate mucous membrane, open upward. Sometimes the opening leading to the sac closes, and then the clinical symptoms of the disease resemble a cyst.

Symptoms: difficulty breathing through the nose, hearing loss, nasal voice.

With posterior rhinoscopy, fibroscopy in the nasopharynx, a rounded formation is determined, covered with unchanged mucous membrane, localized on the back wall, elastic during digital examination. With the help of anterior rhinofibroscopy, it is possible to detect the entrance to its cavity at the upper border of the formation.

The disease in children should be differentiated from retropharyngeal abscess, abscess, benign tumor of this localization. The final diagnosis is based on the data of histological examination.

Treatment is surgical.