Nasopharyngeal cancer is cancer that starts in the nasopharynx. This is the upper part of the throat, behind the nose.
The pharynx is the throat and the upper part of the throat is the nasopharynx. Cancer that develops in the nasopharynx is nasopharyngeal cancer.
Because the nasopharynx is only part of the throat, you won’t usually hear nasopharyngeal cancer called ‘throat cancer’. Instead, doctors will usually be more specific about where the cancer started.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is very rare in the UK. Some common symptoms include a lump in the neck, a blocked nose, nose bleeds, changes in hearing and earache.
You can read about head and neck cancers in general including nasopharyngeal cancer for more information.
At The Christie, the head and neck cancer team treat nasopharyngeal cancer.