Nasopharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. This is preventive (prophylactic) radiation. cancer may include the following: Treatment of stage III nasopharyngeal PDQ is a service of the NCI. Sometimes, the pathologist’s review results in a change to the stage of the cancer and more treatment after surgery. Updated . If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the doctor may remove lymph nodes and other tissues in the neck. Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. The American Cancer Society couldn’t do what we do without the support of our partners. External radiation therapy to the thyroid or the pituitary gland may change the way the thyroid You can help reduce your risk of cancer by making healthy choices like eating right, staying active and not smoking. Your cancer care team will recommend treatment options depending on the stage – the extent of the cancer in the nasopharynx and if and how far the cancer has spread. cancer may include the following: Treatment of stage IV nasopharyngeal In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product's title; e.g., “Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment (Adult) (PDQ®)–Patient Version was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.”. breathing, speaking, or hearing. If the cancer has spread to another part of your body or has come back after treatment, you may have chemotherapy alone. Treatment of stage II nasopharyngeal It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care. Our treatment options for nasopharyngeal cancer include: Radiation therapy : Our doctors often use radiation, treatment with high-energy waves such as X-rays or gamma rays, for nasopharyngeal cancer because it is very sensitive to radiation. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). But adding chemo leads to more side effects, which can affect quality of life. improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients Descriptions of the common types of treatments used for NPC are listed below. (See the General Information section.). Cancer has spread to the bones at the bottom of the. New approaches are being explored to determine whether the toxic effects of treatment can be relieved … Treatment of stage I nasopharyngeal The American Cancer Society also has programs and services – including rides to treatment, lodging, and more – to help you get through treatment. Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options. All so you can live longer — and better. The process used to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body is called staging. The main treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer is radiation therapy, often combined with chemotherapy. If time permits, it is often a good idea to seek a second opinion. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. If you're diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, you'll be cared for by a team of different specialists who work together called a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Chemoradiation is a main treatment for stage 4A and 4B nasopharyngeal cancer. National Cancer Institute. cancer is cancer that has recurred Nasopharyngeal cancer treatment options include radiation therapy, chemoradiation followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. Available Every Minute of Every Day. Coping with physical side effects Common physical side effects from each treatment option for NPC are listed in … Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment. © 2021 American Cancer Society, Inc. All rights reserved. and lymph nodes in the neck. Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM), Coping with Your Feelings During Advanced Cancer, Emotional Support for Young People with Cancer, Young People Facing End-of-Life Care Decisions, Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Treatment, Tech Transfer & Small Business Partnerships, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Milestones in Cancer Research and Discovery, Step 1: Application Development & Submission, Childhood Esthesioneuroblastoma Treatment, Childhood Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatment, Childhood Salivary Gland Tumors Treatment, Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment, Paranasal Sinus & Nasal Cavity Cancer Treatment, Oral Cavity, Pharyngeal, and Laryngeal Cancer Prevention, Oral Cavity, Pharyngeal, and Laryngeal Cancer Screening, General Information About Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Treatment Options for Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Cancer, To Learn More About Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation, Chemotherapy and You: Support for People With Cancer, Radiation Therapy and You: Support for People With Cancer, Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Cancer, https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/patient/adult/nasopharyngeal-treatment-pdq, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Cisplatin and fluorouracil (5FU) are the most common chemotherapy drugs used for nasopharyngeal cancer. Don't hesitate to ask him or her questions about your treatment options. A high level of EBV antibodies and EBV-DNA markers in the blood before and after treatment. If NPC returns after treatment, your choices depend on the location and extent of the cancer, which treatments were used the first time around, and your overall health. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) in children is treated largely the same way as NPC in adults. Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing. The cancer has not yet spread to lymph nodes in these stages, but the nearby lymph nodes in the neck are usually treated with radiation therapy as well. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. (Nasopharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer.). They are also the best way for doctors to learn better methods to treat cancer. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. We’ve invested more than $4.9 billion in cancer research since 1946, all to find more – and better – treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve cancer patients’ quality of life. Immunotherapy is a newer option to treat some of these cancers, either alone or along with chemo. In the past, the initial radiotherapy fields were treated with 2 parallel opposed lateral fields that encompassed the nasopharynx and upper cervical nodes. Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. Whether you are thinking about treatment, getting treatment, or not being treated at all,  you can still get supportive care to help with pain or other symptoms. Accessed . The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. The American Cancer Society is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Recurrent NPC in regional (neck) lymph nodes can sometimes be treated with radiation therapy. upper part of the pharynx (throat) cancer. Many cancers of the nasopharynx can be cured, especially if they are found early. If chemo has been given already, different chemo drugs may be tried. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will After nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is found and staged, your cancer care team will discuss treatment options (choices) with you. If the cancer is removed by surgery, a pathologist will examine a sample of the cancer tissue under a microscope. Cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes on one or both sides of the neck. What does it take to outsmart cancer? The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change. Importance: Since the advent of modern radiotherapy techniques and incorporation of systemic chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer, locoregional control has been excellent. These might include nursing or social work services, financial aid, nutritional advice, rehab, or spiritual help. are being tested in clinical trials. They kill normal cells and bring harm to normal tissues and organs, causing great damage to … The targeted drug cetuximab may be given along with chemo, but this is usually done as part of a clinical trial. This is also a good time to consider if you would like a second opinion. other parts of the body. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." For example, if nasopharyngeal cancer spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually nasopharyngeal cancer cells. In stage I, cancer has formed and the cancer: In stage II, one of the following is true: In stage III, one of the following is true: Stage IV is divided into stages IVA and IVB. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/patient/adult/nasopharyngeal-treatment-pdq. Become a volunteer, make a tax-deductible donation, or participate in a fundraising event to help us save lives. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. You and your doctor work together to devise a treatment plan based on several factors, such as the stage of your cancer, your treatment goals, your overall health and the side effects you're willing to tolerate. It can be hard to cope if treatment has changed your appearance, voice or how you eat and drink. The cells lining the nasopharynx can become cancerous and give rise to nasopharyngeal cancer, more commonly known as nose cancer. Surgery is At Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, experts from Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) will jointly hold a consultation and decide appropriate treatment options for the nasopharyngeal cancer patients to prevent surgery and side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. Recurrence can be local (in or near the same place it started) or distant (spread to organs such as the lungs or bone). After nasopharyngeal cancer has been diagnosed, tests It’s important to discuss all treatment options, including their goals and possible side effects, with your doctors to help make the decision that best fits your needs. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). Whether or not you continue treatment, there are still things you can do to help maintain or improve your quality of life. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. not get cancer. General information about clinical trials is also available. Tax ID Number: 13-1788491. Radiotherapy is the main type of treatment for nasopharyngeal cancers. In stage IVB: Cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes in the neck to distant lymph nodes, such as those between the. It is common to feel overwhelmed by different feelings. are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the nasopharynx or to Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment. The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). 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