ear, nose, and throat disorders
Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Introduction
Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of the nasopharynx. Symptoms develop late, including unilateral bloody nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, hearing loss, ear pain, facial swelling, and facial numbness. Diagnosis is based on inspection and biopsy, with CT, MRI, or PET to evaluate extent. Treatment is with radiation, chemotherapy, and, rarely, surgery. (See also Overview of Head and Neck Tumors .) Nasopharyngeal cancer can occur in any age group, including adolescents, and is common in the South China Sea region. Although rare in the US and Western Europe, it is common in Asia and is one of the most common cancers among Chinese immigrants in the US, especially those of southern Chinese and Southeast Asian ancestry. Over several generations, the prevalence among Chinese-Americans gradually decreases to that among non-Chinese Americans, suggesting an environmental component to etiology. Dietary exposure to nitrites and salted fish also is thought to increase risk. Infectious Mononucleosis is a significant risk factor, and there is hereditary predisposition. Other nasopharyngeal cancers include adenoid cystic and mucoepidermoid carcinomas, malignant mixed tumors, adenocarcinomas, lymphomas, fibrosarcomas, osteosarcomas, chondrosarcomas, and melanomas. 