Other names: Lymphoepithelioma; Nasopharyngeal Cancer; NPC

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a type of squamous cell carcinoma of the epithelial tissue of the nasopharynx, which is a small, tubular structure above the soft palate that connects the nose to the oropharynx.

In the United States, nasopharyngeal cancer is extremely rare, with less than 1 in 100,000 people diagnosed with the condition annually. It is more common in Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

Risk factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma include having Chinese or Asian ancestry, exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and consumption of nitrosamine-containing food agents.

Symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma include nasal obstruction, nosebleeds, post-nasal drip, hyponasal speech, and cacosmia (a disorder of the sense of smell), hearing loss, middle ear effusion, aural fullness, and neurological symptoms.

Treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is usually radiotherapy, with the addition of chemotherapy for advanced-stage disease.

Toripalimab is a new drug in development for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody that works to recharge the immune system’s ability to attack and kill tumor cells by blocking PD-1 interactions with the PD-L1 and PD-L2 ligands. The proposed brand name for toripalimab is Loqtorzi.

Drugs used to treat Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma