Background Oral mucositis is a well-known adverse event of radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). Its nasal counterpart, the radiation-induced rhinitis, is poorly studied and considered in clinical practice. Objective The aim of this observational study was to evaluate acute cytological and olfactory alterations during RT and their correlation with RT doses. Methods Ten patients who underwent RT for HNC, excluding tumors of the nasal cavities, were evaluated with nasal scraping for cytological examination, Sniffin’ Sticks test for olfactory assessment, and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale. The examinations were performed before (T0), at mid-course (T1), and at the end (T2) of RT. They were repeated 1 and 3 months after RT (T3 and T4). Mean dose (Dmean) and near maximum dose (D2%) to nasal cavities and inferior turbinates were used for correlation analyses. Results Radiation-induced rhinitis was present in 70% of patients at T2, and it was still observed in 40% of cases after 3 months. Although olfactory function remained within the normal range at the evaluated times, a significant decrease in odor threshold and discrimination was observed during RT, which returned to baseline levels after RT. Nasal cytology showed a radiation-induced rhinitis with neutrophils and sometimes bacteria. Mucous and squamous cell metaplasia appeared in 10% of patients. Dmean and D2% to inferior turbinates were associated to neutrophilic rhinitis at T2, and D2% to inferior turbinates was correlated to mucous cell metaplasia at T2. Conclusions RT for HNC induces acute rhinitis that may persist after the completion of treatment and can affect patient’s quality of life. Nasal cytology can help to choose the best treatment on an individual basis.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the head and neck cancer with the greatest impact on patients' quality of life. The aim of this explorative study is to investigate the psychological distress, coping strategies and quality of life of NPC patients in the post-treatment observation period.Twenty-one patients disease-free for at least two years were assessed with a medical and a psycho-oncological evaluation. Clinically relevant depressive symptoms (CRD) were present in 23.8% of patients and 33.3% reported clinically relevant anxiety symptoms (CRA).Patients with CRD and CRA showed a significantly higher score in the use of hopelessness/helplessness and anxious preoccupation coping strategies and a worse quality of life. Even in the post-treatment period, about a quarter of patients showed CRD and CRA.Results showed that patients with high anxiety or depressive symptoms seem to use dysfunctional coping strategies, such as hopelessness and anxious preoccupation, more than patients with lower levels of anxiety and depression. The use of these styles of coping thus seems to be associated to a higher presence of CRA or CRD symptomatology and to a worse quality of life.

Localized nasal argyria has been reported in 3 published articles as secondary to occupational exposure and involving the anterior part of the nose. No previous cases of such pathology involving the rhinopharynx were described. Here we report the first case of localized argyria of the roof and of the posterior wall of the rhinopharynx secondary to prolonged use of nasal drops containing colloidal silver protein. The recognition of such pathology can be useful to increase the number of conditions that must be considered in the differential diagnosis of rhinopharyngeal mucosa alterations.