Nasopharyngeal carcinoma symptoms & treatment

Nasopharyngeal cancer, also called nasopharyngeal carcinoma, grows in the back of the sinuses and the upper part of the throat known as the nasopharynx. It’s a rare condition that affects less than one in every 100,000 people in the U.S. It’s much more common in China and Africa.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk factors

People who develop nasopharyngeal cancer share one or more risk factors:

• Alcohol and tobacco use: Heavy drinking or smoking may increase your risk of nasopharyngeal cancer.
• Epstein-Barr virus: A history of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is common in people diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, but not all people who’ve had EBV will develop nasopharyngeal cancer.
• Family history: You’re more likely to get nasopharyngeal cancer if someone in your family developed it.
• Gender: Men are two to three times more likely than women to be diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer.
• Salt-cured foods: People who eat large amounts of salt-cured meat, fish and other foods that are high in nitrites and nitrates are more likely to develop nasopharyngeal cancer.

Symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer

Many symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are similar to symptoms of less serious illnesses, which can make nasopharyngeal carcinoma difficult to detect in its early stages. Symptoms may include:

• Clogged sinuses
• Ear pressure
• Facial pain or numbness
• Hearing loss
• Lump in the neck
• Nosebleeds
• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis

To diagnose nasopharyngeal cancer, your doctor will give you a physical exam and discuss your symptoms. Next, they may order a biopsy of the affected tissue or tumor and test it for cancer cells.

If you have a nasopharyngeal carcinoma, your Aurora care team – including expert neurologists and neurosurgeons – will assess whether the cancer has spread. This usually requires a PET, CT or MRI scan.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma stages

If your doctor diagnoses nasopharyngeal cancer, they’ll let you know what stage you're in. Staging determines how far the cancer has spread. It also helps your doctor decide what kind of treatment you’ll need.

There are five nasopharyngeal cancer stages. Nasopharyngeal cancer stages start at zero and go up to four.

Stage 0 nasopharyngeal cancer

Cancer cells only affect the top layer of tissue inside the nasopharynx.

Stage I nasopharyngeal cancer

The cancer has spread into the back of the throat or the nasal cavity.

Stage II nasopharyngeal cancer

The cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes on one side of the neck.

Stage III nasopharyngeal cancer

The cancer has spread to lymph nodes on both sides of the neck.

Stage IV nasopharyngeal cancer

The cancer has spread to the skull, eye, cranial nerves, salivary glands or lower part of the throat. At this stage, it may have also spread to other parts of the body.

Treatment options for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy

The main treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer is radiation therapy. For all but the most early stage nasopharyngeal cancers, chemotherapy is added to radiation therapy to increase its effectiveness.

Radiation therapy kills or slows the growth of cancer cells using high-energy X-rays or particles. It’s usually part of initial treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer if it has not spread outside the head and neck area.

Radiation is usually used on the main nasopharyngeal tumor and nearby lymph nodes in the neck, even if they aren’t enlarged or abnormal. If the lymph nodes do contain cancer cells, higher doses of radiation therapy are used.

Surgery

Surgery may be considered for nasopharyngeal cancer that comes back. At Aurora, our surgeons prefer to use the expanded endonasal approach, a minimally invasive procedure. With the expanded endonasal approach, the tumor is removed through the nasal passages, resulting in no incisions, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.