The Evolving Epidemiology of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background: The epidemiology of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has long been a source of fascination due to the malignancy's striking geographic distribution, the involvement of the oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the unique association with intake of Chinese-style salt-preserved fish, and etiologic heterogeneity by histologic subtype.

Methods: This review summarizes the current epidemiologic literature on NPC, highlighting recent results from our population-based case-control study in southern China.

Results: Findings from our case-control study provide new insight into the epidemiology of NPC, including a diminished role of Chinese-style salt-preserved fish, a profound impact of EBV genetic sequence variation, modest positive associations with passive smoking and household air pollution, and possible effects of oral health and the oral microbiome. Recent findings from other studies include a protective association with infectious mononucleosis, suggesting a causal role of early EBV infection; familial risk conferred by shared genetic variation in the host antibody-mediated immune response to EBV infection; and an unclear association with occupational exposure to formaldehyde.

Conclusions: To shed further light on the interplay of environmental, genetic, and viral causes of NPC, large pooled studies must accumulate sufficient cases with detailed exposure data.

Impact: New epidemiologic findings have reshaped the causal model for NPC.