Stage IV is a large tumor involving intracranial or infratemporal regions, an extensive neck disease, and/or any distant metastasis. Risk factors
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, classified as a squamous cell cancer, has not been linked to excessive use of tobacco. However, there are certain risk factors that can predispose an individual to NPC if exposed to them. These risk factors include: having Chinese, or Asian, ancestry, exposure to Epstein- Barr virus (EBV), unknown factors that result in rare familial clusters, and heavy alcohol consumption. EBV
Epstein- Barr virus infects and persists in more than 90% of world population. Transmission of this virus occurs through saliva and is more commonly seen in developing countries where there are living areas are more packed together and less hygienic. Replication of this virus can occur in the oropharyngeal epithelial tissue and nasopharyngeal tissue. EBV primarily targets B lymphocytes. Patients diagnosed with NPC were found to show elevated levels of the antibodies against the EBV antigen than in individuals not diagnosed with NPC. Smoking
Individuals that are exposed to cigarette smoking have an increased risk of developing NPC by 2- to 6-fold. Approximately two-thirds of patients with type 1 NPC was attributed to smoking in the United States. However the declining rates of smoking in the US can be associated with less prevalence of type 1 NPC. In southern China and North Africa, it has been suggested that high smoking rates come from wood fires in the country rather than cigarette smoking. Treatment
NPC can be treated by surgery, by chemotherapy, or by radiotherapy.
Systemic chemotherapy is when the chemotherapy is taken orally or is injected into a vein or muscle. In this method, the drug circulates through the blood system and can reach cancer cells throughout the body. Regional chemotherapy is when chemotherapy is administered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity, for example, the abdomen. In this way, the drugs will mainly affect cancer cells in that area. However, the type of chemotherapy that is administered to the patient depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Additionally, chemotherapy can be used as an adjuvant therapy after radiation to lower the risk of recurrence in the patient. If given after radiation, chemotherapy can be used to kill any cancer cells that may have remained. Surgery
Surgery can be used as a method to determine whether there is cancer present or to remove cancer from the body. If the tumor does not respond to radiation therapy, then the patient may undergo an operation to have it removed. Cancers that may have spread to the lymph nodes may require the doctor to remove lymph nodes or other tissue in the neck. Epidemiology
As of 2010, NPC resulted in 65,000 deaths globally up from 45,000 in 1990.NPC is uncommon in the United States and most other nations, representing less than 1 case per 100,000 in most populations. but is extremely common in southern regions of China, particularly in Guangdong, accounting for 18% of all cancers in China.