NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA- A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is commonly a squamous cell carcinoma arising from the epithelial lining of nasopharynx more frequently seen at the fossa of Rosenmüller.Materials and methods: It included 25 patients attending Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, SMGS Hospital, Jammu with nasopharyngeal carcinoma from March 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively analysed. Thorough clinical examination of the head and neck was done. Radiological examination including chest x-ray, contrast enhanced CT and/or MRI of the head and neck region was carried out. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from the neck node and biopsy from the nasopharyngeal mass for histopathological study was done to arrive at a diagnosis. Results: A total of 25 histopathologically confirmed cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were seen with a M:F ratio of 1.8:1. The peak age was found to be 30-50 years in males and 50-59 years in females. Highest incidence was in the 5th decade of life.The most common presentation is neck swelling seen in 92% patients followed by epistaxis, hearing loss and nasal obstruction.14(56%) patients were histologically diagnosed with Non Keratinizing undifferentiated, 9(36%) were Non keratinizing differentiated and 2(8%) were Keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma.15(60%) patients presented with Stage Ⅳ disease at the time of presentation,7(28%) patients presented with Stage Ⅲ disease and 3(12%) patients presented with Stage Ⅱ disease.Conclusion: Screening patients with early symptoms of NPC as it is eminently done in countries endemic for the disease, will aid in its early detection, diagnosis and curative medical intervention and thus reducing morbidity and mortality.