Types of nasopharyngeal cancer

The type of nasopharyngeal cancer means the type of cell the cancer started in. The most common type is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Cancers from different types of cells

Several layers of tissue make up the nasopharynx. Each layer contains many different types of cells.

Different types of cancer can develop from each type of cell. Knowing these differences helps doctors decide on the best treatment.

Cancerous and non cancerous tumours

Tumours are groups of abnormal cells that form lumps or growths.

Tumours of the nasopharynx can be:

  • non cancerous (benign)

  • cancerous (malignant)

Non cancerous nasopharyngeal growths are rare. They are mostly found in children and young adults. There are several types of non cancerous tumours. These include growths of small blood vessels, known as angiofibromas.

There are also benign tumours of the minor salivary glands. Minor salivary glands are found throughout the head and neck, including in the nasopharynx.

Malignant nasopharyngeal tumours are cancers. They include the types mentioned below. In time, they can spread into surrounding tissue and to other parts of the body.

Main types of nasopharyngeal cancer

There are 3 main types of nasopharyngeal cancer. They are:

  • keratinising squamous cell carcinoma

  • non keratinising squamous cell carcinoma

  • basaloid squamous cell carcinoma

Carcinoma is another word for cancer. Squamous cells are the flat skin-like cells that line the inside of your mouth, nose, voice box (larynx) and throat. A keratinising cancer has keratin in the cancer cells. Keratin is the protein that forms your hair and nails.

Basaloid squamous cell cancer is very rare.

Treatment

The treatment you have depends on several things including:

  • where exactly the cancer is

  • how big the cancer is

  • whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body

Other types of nasopharyngeal cancer

There are other types of cancer that can start in the nasopharynx but these are very rare. They are often treated differently to the main types of nasopharyngeal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinomas

These cancers can develop in the minor salivary glands within the nasopharynx. But these cancer types are more common in the mouth and nose.

Lymphoma

Lymphomas are cancers that start in the lymph nodes Open a glossary item. There are many lymph nodes in the neck. Swelling of a lymph node is a common symptom of lymphoma.

Treatment for lymphoma is different to treatment for squamous cell nasopharyngeal and head and neck cancers. For information on lymphoma, see our sections on Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Melanoma

Melanoma develops from the pigment producing cells that give the skin its colour. Melanomas of the head and neck can occur anywhere on the skin or inside the nose or mouth (oral cavity). Nasopharyngeal melanoma is rare. 

Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that develop in the connective and supporting tissues of the body. So soft tissue sarcomas can develop and grow almost anywhere including the nasopharynx but this is rare.

  • Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: ESMO-EURACAN Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

    P Bossi and others

    Annals of Oncology, 2021. Volume 32, Issue 4, Pages 452-465.

  • Nasopharyngeal cancer

    Hyunseok Kang and others 

    BMJ Best Practice. Accessed January 2023.

  • Nasopharyngeal Lymphoma: A 22-Year Review of 35 Cases

    Chien-Yu Hsueh and others

    Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2019. Volume 8, Issue 10, Page 1604.

  • Nasopharyngeal melanoma: An unusual entity

    S Mattoo and others

    Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology,2021. Volume 25, Supplement 1, Pages S1–S3.

  • Head and neck cancer explained: an overview of management pathways

    David Owens, Vinidh Paleri & Adam V. Jones

    British Dental Journal, 2022. Volume 233, pages721–725'

  • The information on this page is based on literature searches and specialist checking. We used many references and there are too many to list here. Please contact patientinformation@cancer.org.uk with details of the particular issue you are interested in if you need additional references for this information.

Last reviewed: 
20 Feb 2024
Next review due: 
20 Feb 2027

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