Malignant Tumours of the Nasopharynx

The frequency of malignant tumours in the nasopharynx varies with race, geographic locality, sex, and age.In white populations these tumours are rare; in Scandinavia about 0.3 per cent of all malignant tumours (GODTFREDSEN 1944), in other white populations around 0.25 per cent (BAILAR 1967).On the other hand, the frequency among the Chinese of South-East Asia, especially in the Kwangtung province, is about 25 times higher than in Scandinavia (Ho 1967).The explanation is not purely genetic, since among Chinese born outside of China and living in Australia, Hawaii or California, the rate is significantly lower, but yet higher than among the white populations (CLIFFORD 1970).Accordingly, environmental factors may be supposed to exert an influence upon the frequency of malignant tumours of the nasopharynx.Fungi and virosis are possibly of importance in some areas, whereas physical and chemical factors or combinations thereof may play a role in others.Chronic infections of the nasal cavity and nasal sinuses may precede a malignant process in the nasopharynx.Thus, HENLE et coll.(1970) found a higher antibody titre to the Epstein-Barr virus in Chinese and East-African patients with malignant tumours of the nasopharynx than in patients with other neoplasms of the head and neck.Infections with adeno-virus 7 and 12 were apparently more common among Chinese patients with nasopharyngeal tumours than in a control group (LAING 1969).In all published series a preponderance of men, ranging from 2.5 to 4.4: 1 was