What are the common sites of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and how to treat it

Where is nasopharyngeal cancer most likely to occur? How is it treated?

1. The pharynx is the common passage for the upper end of the human respiratory tract and digestive tract. The pharynx can be divided into three parts: the nasopharynx, the oropharynx, and the laryngopharynx. The nasopharyngeal recess is a common site for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

2. The pharynx is the common passage of the upper end of the human respiratory tract and digestive tract. It is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, flat from front to back, and slightly funnel-shaped. The front part is connected to the nasal cavity, oral cavity, and laryngeal cavity, and the back wall is adjacent to the prevertebral fascia; the two sides are adjacent to the neck and nerves. The pharynx can be divided into three parts: nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx.

3. The nasopharynx, also known as the upper pharynx, is located between the base of the skull and the plane of the free edge of the soft palate. The top is the sphenoid bone and the base of the occipital bone; the front middle is the posterior edge of the nasal septum, and the two sides are the posterior nasal holes, which are connected to the nasal cavity; the back wall is flat with the first and second cervical vertebrae. There are pharyngeal recesses on the left and right sides of the nasopharynx: there is a convex part above the pharyngeal opening, called the Eustachian tube round pillow. There is a concave area between the upper and rear of the Eustachian tube round pillow and the posterior wall of the pharynx, called the pharyngeal recess. It is a common site for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The upper part is adjacent to the foramen of the skull base. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma can easily invade the skull through this hole.

How to treat it?

Since pathological examinations are mostly poorly differentiated squamous adenocarcinoma, radiotherapy is recognized as the first choice of treatment. Conventional radiotherapy has many complications, and three-dimensional conformal or enhanced radiotherapy is recommended. The total irradiation dose to the nasopharynx is 66~70Gy/6.5 to 7 weeks, the radical dose for positive cervical lymph nodes is 56~60Gy, and the preventive radiation dose for negative cervical lymph nodes is 46~0Gy.

During radiotherapy, chemotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and immunotherapy can be used in combination to improve the efficacy. Comprehensive treatment methods such as chemotherapy and surgery can be used for some advanced patients and recurrence cases after radiotherapy, as well as a small number of adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas that are not sensitive to radiation.