title: [Observation on the changes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients' olfactory before and after radiotherapy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Detecting nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients' olfactory before and after radiotherapy for investigating the infection of radiotherapy on these patients' olfactory.
  
  
  METHODS
  100 NPC patients' olfactory were detected before the start of radiotherapy and after the termination of therapy in 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients' smell acuity decreased sharply 3 months after therapy, but varying degrees of recovery were noted in 6 and 12 months. However their smell acuity became worse in the following time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NPC patients' smell acuity can be profoundly affected by radiotherapy. And after radiotherapy, their smell acuity will decrease wave-likely and cannot fully recover.
authors.affiliation: ENT & Head and Neck Department of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou 510080.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012903:Smell / Q000528:radiation effects*