Authors: Aman, Ashiya Goel, Jai Prakash Narayan, Vinay Raheja, Manorama Saini
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) rarely appears in children under 14 years of age. A 11 year old child presented with bilateral cervical lymphadenitis which initially responded to intravenous antibiotics. No abnormality was detected on nose and throat examination. The patient underwent investigations for common infectious causes. Later a cytological examination of lymph node aspirate showed metatstatic deposits, probably of nasopharyngeal origin. Excision biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Since, in paediatric age group lymphadenitis is mostly associated with upper respiratory tract infections, malignancy is usually not suspected. Therefore, diagnosis was delayed in this case. Clinical follow up of all cervical lymphadenopathies is thus important for diagnosis of such underlying conditions. Keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Paediatric, Lymphadenopathy.
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