NASOPHARYNGEAL CANCER

Course overview

THE NASOPHARYNX IS A SMALL, TUBULAR STRUCTURE ABOVE THE SOFT PALATE THAT CONNECTS THE NOSE TO THE OROPHARYNX. CANCERS THAT ARISE FROM THIS AREA ARE USUALLY SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS THAT BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE OTHER HEAD AND NECK CANCERS. MOST COMMON PLACE OF ORIGIN IS THE FOSSA OF ROSENMULLER, WHICH IS THE PHARYNGEAL RECESS. VIRUS-RELATED ONCOGENESIS IS A COMMON THEME IN HEAD/NECK CANCERS. OROPHARYNGEAL CANCERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) INFECTION, AND NASOPHARYNGEAL CANCERS (NPC) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EBSTEIN-BARR VIRUS (EBV). THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) HAS CLASSIFIED NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA INTO THE THREE SUBTYPES BASED ON HISTOLOGY. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH NASOPHARYNGEAL CANCER.