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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffResearchers have identified some factors that appear to increase your risk of developing nasopharyngeal carcinoma, including:
- Sex. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is more common in men than it is in women.
- Race. This type of cancer more commonly affects people in Asia and northern Africa. In the United States, Asian immigrants have a higher risk of this type of cancer than do American-born Asians. The Inuits of Alaska also have an increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancer.
- Age. Nasopharyngeal cancer can occur at any age, but it's most commonly diagnosed in adults between the ages of 30 and 50.
- Salt-cured foods. Chemicals released in steam when cooking salt-cured foods, such as fish and preserved vegetables, may enter the nasal cavity, increasing the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Being exposed to these chemicals at an early age may increase the risk even more.
- Epstein-Barr virus. This common virus usually produces mild signs and symptoms, such as those of a cold. Sometimes it can cause infectious mononucleosis. Epstein-Barr virus is also linked to several rare cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
- Family history. Having a family member with nasopharyngeal carcinoma increases your risk of the disease, though researchers aren't sure if this association is due to genetic or environmental factors.
- Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol is linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma among people in the United States and Europe who have a low risk of this cancer.
References
- Tan L, et al. Benign and malignant tumors of the nasopharynx. In: Flint PW, et al. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05283-2..X0001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05283-2&uniq=203948673#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05283-2..X0001-8--TOP%3Bfrom%3Dcontent%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05283-2%3Btype%3DbookHome. Accessed June 2, 2010.
- Head and neck cancers. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/head-and-neck.pdf. Accessed June 2, 2010.
- Nasopharyngeal cancer treatment. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/nasopharyngeal/healthprofessional/allpages. Accessed June 2, 2010.
- Caponigro F, et al. Treatment approaches to nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A review. Anti-Cancer Drugs. 2010;21:471.
- Hui EP, et al. Epidemiology, etiology and diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- Paraneoplastic syndromes information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/paraneoplastic/paraneoplastic.htm. June 14, 2010.
- Couch ME. History, physical examination and the preoperative evaluation. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05283-2..X0001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05283-2&uniq=203948673#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05283-2..X0001-8--TOP%3Bfrom%3Dcontent%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05283-2%3Btype%3DbookHome. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- Hui EP, et al. Treatment of locoregional nasopharyngeal carcinoma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- Dry mouth or xerostomia. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Treating+Cancer/Managing+Side+Effects/Dry+Mouth+or+Xerostomia. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- Oral complications of chemotherapy and head/neck radiation. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/oralcomplications/patient/allpages. Accessed June 2, 2010.
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