The Silent Invader: A Rare Presentation of a Well Known Cause

Dr. Sherin T Jose, Dr. Ajayan P V

Abstract: We report a case of 47 year old male who presented to us with right sided headache, swelling on both side of neck, double vision, drooping of right eyelid over a period of 4 months which turned out to be nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with multiple cranial nerve palsies. It is a rare condition and high index of suspicion is needed for the diagnosis. Cranial nerves III, IV, V, VI, IX and XII were the most commonly involved nerves[1]Even though it has a very good response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy,a delay in diagnosis may adversely affect the prognosis due to its aggressive nature.

Keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cranial nerve palsy, Intracranial extension, radiotherapy