What is nasopharyngeal cancer?

Nasopharyngeal cancer is when abnormal cells in the nasopharynx start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. The cells can grow into surrounding tissues or organs and may spread to other areas of the body.

The nasopharynx

The nasopharynx is the top part of the pharynx (throat). It connects the back of your nose to the back of your mouth. Cancer that develops in the nasopharynx is called nasopharyngeal cancer. Nasopharyngeal is pronounced nas-o-fa-rin-jee-al.

You can’t see your own nasopharynx directly. It lies above the soft area at the back of the roof of your mouth (your soft palate) and the dangly part (uvula) at the back of your mouth. You might see these if you look inside your mouth using a mirror.

Parts of the pharynx (throat)

The pharynx is in 3 parts:

• the area at the back of the nose (nasopharynx)
• the part of the throat at the back of the mouth - the medical term is oropharynx
• the area that sits behind and on either side of the larynx - called the hypopharynx

What throat cancer means

Throat cancer is not an exact medical term, so doctors do not generally use it. Many people use the term throat cancer to mean cancer that has developed in any of the 3 parts of the pharynx. They might also use it to mean cancers near the pharynx, such as cancer of the:

• thyroid gland
• voice box (larynx)
• food pipe (oesophagus)

It is important to know the exact medical name of the cancer you have, so you can find the right information.

Cancers are treated according to where they started. For example, the treatment for thyroid cancer is different to the treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer. If you are not sure of the medical name of your cancer, ask your doctor or nurse to write it down for you.

Where does nasopharyngeal cancer start?

Nasopharyngeal cancer starts in the lining of the nasopharynx. It may spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, such as the lungs or bones.

The most common type of nasopharyngeal cancer is keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cells are the flat, skin-like cells that cover the lining of the mouth, nose, voice box (larynx), thyroid and throat. Carcinoma means cancer. So, squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that starts in these cells.

Other types include

• nonkeratinizing carcinoma 
• basaloid squamous cell carcinoma 

Lymph nodes in your neck

Like other parts of the body, the neck contains lymph nodes (also called lymph glands).

These small, bean shaped glands are part of the lymphatic system which runs throughout the body. Lymph nodes filter the lymph fluid as it passes through them. They can trap bacteria, viruses and cancer cells.

Lymph nodes are often the first place cancer cells spread to when they break away from a cancer. There are groups of lymph nodes in the neck. If you have nasopharyngeal cancer, it might spread to these lymph nodes.

How common is nasopharyngeal cancer?

Nasopharyngeal cancer is a rare cancer. Around 260 people are diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in the UK every year. It is more common in men than women.