Primary Nasopharyngeal Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: An Extremely Rare Clinical Entity

Head and neck neuroendocrine carcinomas are rare, and the most common site of origin in this region is the larynx. Primary nasopharyngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma is very rare, and the number of cases reported so far is 12 patients. We present a 52-year-old female patient with a complaint of cervical mass, diagnosed with nasopharyngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma with pathological and radiological examinations. Panendoscopic upper respiratory tract examination of the patient showed a lesion suspicious of malignancy in the right Rosenmller fossa. Biopsies performed from cervical lymphadenopathy and nasopharyngeal mass, revealed the diagnosis of poorly differentiated high-grade nasopharyngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma. The patient was referred to medical oncology department for chemotherapy and no recurrent lesion was found in the 1-year follow-up. Recognition of this rare tumor is important for disease management and patient prognosis. To draw attention to this rare clinical picture we would like to present our case in terms of diagnosis and treatment, together with a brief review of literature.