The nasopharynx consists of the area behind the nose and the upper part of the throat, or pharynx, that lies just below the base of the skull and just above the soft palate. Cancer can occur in tissues of the nasopharynx. It usually starts in the cells that line the lateral nasopharynx, the part of the throat behind the nose.
Several types of tumors can develop in the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common malignant tumor of the nasopharynx. The two main subtypes of NPC are keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma and non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. Non-keratinizing carcinomas can be further divided into differentiated and undifferentiated carcinoma. All types develop from the epithelial cells lining the nasopharynx. Many nasopharyngeal carcinomas also contain immune system cells, especially lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The term lymphoepithelioma is sometimes used to describe an NPC that contains many immune system cells.
NPC is rare in most parts of the world. In North America, it makes up about 0.25 percent of all cancers or about 2 percent of all head and neck cancers. NPC is more common in parts of Asia and North Africa. In southeast China it accounts for 18 to 30 percent of all cancers.
Treatment and survival depend on where the cancer is in the throat, whether the cancer is limited to the throat or has spread to other tissues and lymph nodes, and the patient's overall health.
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