About nasopharyngeal
cancer
Risk factors
& symptoms
Diagnosis
& treatment
FAQs
Resources
menu iconmenu iconmenu vertical line

WHAT IS NASOPHARYNGEAL CANCER?

Nasopharyngeal cancer (or NPC) is a rare type of cancer that starts in the nasopharynx.

The nasopharynx is located at the upper part of the throat, below the nasal cavity and above the oropharynx, as seen in the diagram below.

Profile view of a man’s head and throat, with a diagram of where the nasopharynx is located

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF NASOPHARYNGEAL CANCER?

There are 3 main types of nasopharyngeal cancer:

Keratinizing
squamous
cell cancer

Keratinizing cells produce an excess amount of protein called keratin. Keratin hardens the outermost layer of the tumor.

Both types 2 and 3 are nonkeratinizing, which means hardening does not happen.

Differentiated
nonkeratinizing
cell cancer

Differentiated cells tend to grow and spread slowly to other parts of the body.

unDifferentiated
nonkeratinizing
cell cancer

Undifferentiated cells tend to grow and spread quickly to other parts of the body.

See some of the risk factors and
symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer

See how nasopharyngeal cancer
is diagnosed and treated

GLOSSARY

Flat cells located on the outer part of the epidermis that are constantly being shed as new cells form.