Nasopharyngeal Cancer

This article was provided by the National Cancer Institute on nasopharyngeal cancer. The article includes, nasopharynx region, people who are at risk, different examination in detecting and diagnosing nasopharyngeal cancer, stages and development of a person who has nasopharyngeal cancer, current and new treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer. A link to the National Cancer Institute can be found at the end of the article. Brief description of the nasopharynx area, its purpose and use, are described in this article. Nasopharynx region covers the upper part of the pharynx and continue to the nose. Food and air passes through the pharynx then to the trachea and to the esophagus. It has been found that most nasopharyngeal cancer starts in the squamous cell in the part of the throat which is behind the mouth. Predilection of this disease usually occurs to people with Chinese or Asian lineage, and those were exposed to Epstein-Barr virus. Epstein-Barr virus or EBV is a virus, class into the herpes family of viruses.

Listed in the article are symptoms that a person may exhibit having nasopharyngeal cancer. It is advised that other diseases may show the same symptoms with people having nasopharyngeal cancer therefore it is best to consult a doctor. A person with nasopharyngeal cancer may experience one of the following: sore throat, difficulty in breathing and speaking, frequent nose bleed, trouble hearing or the presence of pain or ringing in the ear and headaches. Nasopharyngeal Cancer is usually exhibited with a lump either in the nose or neck areas. Test may include the use of CT scan, MRI, and Neurological Examination. An ENT microscope may be used in the physical examination depending on the area to be probed. Nasoscope are used to see areas inside the nose while an ENT microscope can be used to check areas inside the mouth. ENT microscope is also used during surgery. The article also explains the different stages of nasopharyngeal cancer. This is used by the doctor to plan the treatment. Stage starts from Stage 0 to Stage IVC.

A variety of treatment is available for nasopharyngeal cancer. Aside from the current practiced treatment scientist and doctors are taking part in clinical research and trials to improve current treatment or obtain new treatment. Standard treatments that are available are: Radiotheraphy which uses radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiotheraphy can be done either internally or externally. This is explained in detail in the article. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop and kill cancer cells. Surgery is the removal of the tumor or lymph node. Two new types of treatment are explained in the article, these are 1) Biologic therapy and Intensity modulated radiation therapy. Other types of therapy are available in the NCI website. Outline in this article are factors that affect prognosis and treatment option from nasopharyngeal cancer. The chance of recovering from nasopharyngeal cancer is dependent on several factors, these are, stage of the cancer when treatment was performed, the type of nasopharyngeal cancer, size of the tumor and the patient’s current state of health and age. Read more on this