Temporal lobe necrosis is a late-stage and serious complication usually occurring in persons who have undergone radiation treatment for

nasopharyngeal carcinoma Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), or nasopharynx cancer, is the most common cancer originating in the nasopharynx, most commonly in the postero-lateral nasopharynx or pharyngeal recess ( fossa of Rosenmüller), accounting for 50% of cases. NPC occurs ...

(NPC). It is rather rare and occurs in 4-30% of patients who receive

radiation treatment Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

for NPC. Many patients who experience temporal lobe necrosis are asymptomatic. This demonstrates a need for consistent imaging follow up, such as

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

and/or

PET A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

/CT, to help with the potential management of it. Those who are symptomatic usually suffer from "vague" symptoms including headaches, dizziness, intracranial pressure, personality changes, seizures, and short-term memory loss. The rarity of this disease has led to difficulty in finding optimal treatments, however, most treatments include one or some of the following: steroids,

hyperbaric oxygen Hyperbaric medicine is medical treatment in which an ambient pressure greater than sea level atmospheric pressure is a necessary component. The treatment comprises hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the medical use of oxygen at an ambient pressure ...

, surgery, and decadron.

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* * * *{{cite journal , pmc=3195720 , pmid=21961805 , doi=10.1186/1748-717X-6-128 , volume=6 , title=Radiation induced temporal lobe necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a review of new avenues in its management , year=2011 , journal=Radiat Oncol , pages=128 , last1 = Chen , first1 = J , last2 = Dassarath , first2 = M , last3 = Yin , first3 = Z , last4 = Liu , first4 = H , last5 = Yang , first5 = K , last6 = Wu , first6 = G Necrosis Brain disorders