Ear, nose & throat · UKMLA & AKT
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test. Below are the key points to recognise nasopharyngeal carcinoma — the full SA Note notes add investigations, management, complications and 10 practice questions.
Key high-yield points
- Malignancy arising from the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx - most commonly the fossa of Rosenmuller
- Dramatically higher incidence in Southern China, South-East Asia, North Africa - heightened suspicion in patients of East/South-East Asian heritage
- EBV is the central aetiological factor - drives non-keratinising NPC (the dominant subtype worldwide)
EBV drives NPC; HPV drives oropharyngeal SCC (tonsillar, base of tongue). These are not interchangeable. Asian ethnicity + posterior triangle node + SCC = NPC = EBV.
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