CAROTID BLOWOUT SYNDROME DURING RADIOTHERAPY: A CASE PRESENTATION AND REVIEW OF A RARE ENTITY

¹Hacettepe, Kulak Burun Boğaz ve Baş Boyun Cerrahisi, Ankara, Türkiye
²Hacettepe, Radyasyon Onkolojisi, Ankara, Türkiye Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is an uncommon but a potentially lethal complication with 40% mortality and 60% morbidity, encountered in head and neck cancer patients. CBS has three subtypes; threatened, impending, acute. Impending form is characterized by spontaneously resolving recurrent epistaxis attacs. Radical neck dissection, pharyngocutaneous fistulae, recurrent/ residual tumor and irradiation have been determined as potential risk factors of CBS. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is highly radiosensitive and its primary treatment is radiotherapy. We report a 77-year-old male patient with T4N2cM0 nasopharyngeal cancer with impending form of CBS diagnosed during the initial days of radiation. Keywords : Nasopharyngeal cancer, Radiotherapy