Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is uncommon in the United States, with about 2,750 people diagnosed each year. In the last few years, the rate at which Americans have been developing this cancer has been slowly decreasing. NPC is much more common in parts of the world such as Asia and North Africa; for instance, it is a fairly common cancer in Southeast China.

The five-year survival rate (the percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) for people diagnosed with NPC depends on many factors, including the location of the tumor and if or where it has spread (called the stage [2]). The five-year survival rate for a person with an early stage (stage I) cancer is 72%. The survival rate for people with stage II disease is 64%, stage III disease is 62%, and stage IV disease is 38%. Cancer statistics should be interpreted with caution. Estimates are based on data from thousands of people with this type of cancer in the United States, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with nasopharyngeal cancer. Learn more about understanding statistics [3].

Source: American Cancer Society.