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🗺️ Disease Atlas · Infectious disease

nasopharyngeal carcinoma

A carcinoma arising from the nasopharyngeal epithelium. It includes the following types: keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma, nonkeratinizing carcinoma (differentiated and undifferentiated), basaloid squamous cell carcinoma, and papillary adenocarcinoma.

🔔 Follow weekly
🧬4952genes / proteins with evidence
💊144drugs and clinical candidates
🧪12+recruiting trials worldwide
✅3approved
📈47phase 3
🧬

Understand nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Cancer · Cells that grow out of control
🎓 Learn more

What it is

The main risk factors for throat cancer are tobacco use and heavy drinking. Certain types of throat cancer also have other risk factors. For example, having HPV is a risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer.

Symptoms of throat cancer may include:

A sore throat that does not go away

From MedlinePlus: Throat Cancer (US National Library of Medicine) ↗

🧬 Cancer: Cancer is a group of diseases in which some of the body's cells grow and divide without control, and can spread to other parts of the body.

❓ Why it happens

  • Changes (mutations) build up in the genes that tell a cell when to grow, divide and die.
  • Most of these changes happen during life: tobacco, too much sun, alcohol, some infections (such as HPV and hepatitis B and C), radiation, obesity and ageing all raise the risk.
  • Some people inherit a faulty gene that raises their risk, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.

🫀 What it does to the body

  • Cancer cells form a lump (tumour) that can press on or invade nearby organs.
  • They can travel through the blood or lymph to start new tumours elsewhere (metastasis).
  • Blood cancers crowd out healthy blood cells in the bone marrow.

🧱 Why it is hard to cure

  • Every cancer is different, even between two people with the same type - and inside one tumour.
  • Cancer cells keep changing, so they can learn to resist a medicine that worked at first.
  • Cancer cells are the body's own cells, so killing them without harming healthy cells is hard.
  • Many cancers cause no symptoms until they have spread, and a new medicine often takes more than ten years to go from the lab to patients.

🚀 What research is trying now

  • Targeted medicines against the exact gene change in a tumour (for example EGFR, ALK or KRAS).
  • Immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognise cancer, including CAR-T cell therapy.
  • Personalised cancer vaccines built from each tumour's mutations, now in late trials.
  • Blood tests that look for tumour DNA to find cancer earlier, and AI to read scans and slides.

General information about cancer, reviewed by people; it does not describe any one person. Below: the evidence for nasopharyngeal carcinoma itself.

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AI briefing

Where the science on nasopharyngeal carcinoma stands, from the evidence on this page

AI reads the targets, drugs, trials and papers below and writes where the science stands — every claim cited. It is shared with everyone who opens nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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🎯

Top targets

Genes and proteins ranked by Open Targets evidence (0-1)
TP53 tumor protein p53PROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.69
PDCD1 programmed cell death 1PROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.60
RRM2 ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit M2PROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.44
RRM2B ribonucleotide reductase regulatory TP53 inducible subunit M2BPROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.44
TYMS thymidylate synthetasePROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.43
RRM1 ribonucleotide reductase catalytic subunit M1PROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.43
EGFR epidermal growth factor receptorPROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.43
POLE2 DNA polymerase epsilon 2, accessory subunitPROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.43
TUBB4B tubulin beta 4B class IVbPROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
POLD1 DNA polymerase delta 1, catalytic subunitPROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
TUBB3 tubulin beta 3 class IIIPROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
POLE DNA polymerase epsilon, catalytic subunitPROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
TUBB2B tubulin beta 2B class IIbPROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
TUBA1B tubulin alpha 1bPROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42
POLD4 DNA polymerase delta 4, accessory subunitPROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.42

Green labels: what the target is known to be druggable by. The score combines genetics, somatic mutations, drugs, expression and literature.

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Drugs and candidates

Every medicine linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma, by how far it has got
Approved · 3
LotilanerApproved
TislelizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorApproved
ToripalimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistApproved
In phase 2 / 3 · 20
AcyclovirHuman herpesvirus 1 DNA polymerase inhibitorPhase 3
AdebrelimabProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 inhibitorPhase 3
AmifostinePhase 3
Becotatug VedotinPhase 3
BenmelstobartPhase 3
CadonilimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitor; Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte protein 4 inhibitorPhase 3
Show all 20
CamrelizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistPhase 3
CapecitabineThymidylate synthase inhibitorPhase 3
CarboplatinPhase 3
CatequentinibVascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 inhibitor; Vascular endothelial growth fact…Phase 3
Catequentinib HydrochloridePhase 3
CelecoxibCyclooxygenase-2 inhibitorPhase 3
CetuximabEpidermal growth factor receptor erbB1 inhibitorPhase 3
Charcoal, ActivatedPhase 3
CisplatinPhase 3
DocetaxelTubulin inhibitorPhase 3
EndostatinPhase 3
Endostatin, N-Terminal-MggshhhhhPhase 3
EpirubicinPhase 3
Etoposide PhosphateDNA topoisomerase II alpha inhibitorPhase 3
Early trials · 20
Apg-1387Phase 1/2
AtezolizumabProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 inhibitorPhase 1/2
Cm-4307Phase 1/2
DaratumumabLymphocyte differentiation antigen CD38 inhibitorPhase 1/2
DecitabineDNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 3A inhibitor; DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 inh…Phase 1/2
GefitinibEpidermal growth factor receptor erbB1 inhibitorPhase 1/2
Show all 20
Icotinib HydrochloridePhase 1/2
Retlirafusp AlfaPhase 1/2
TroculeucelPhase 1/2
TucidinostatPhase 1/2
AfliberceptVascular endothelial growth factor A inhibitor; Placenta growth factor inhibitorPhase 1
AldesleukinInterleukin-2 receptor agonistPhase 1
BalstilimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistPhase 1
CemiplimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 1
CusatuzumabCD70 antigen inhibitorPhase 1
DexamethasoneGlucocorticoid receptor agonistPhase 1
Dky-709Phase 1
ErfonrilimabCytotoxic T-lymphocyte protein 4 inhibitor; Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 inhibitorPhase 1
EverolimusFK506-binding protein 1A inhibitorPhase 1
FloxuridineThymidylate synthase inhibitorPhase 1
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Recruiting trials

Worldwide, open to new patients now
"Xijiang Project" Screening Cohort for NPCNCT06787456 · n/a · 📍 ZhuhaiReduced vs Conventional Dosage Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy for Chemotherapy-sensitive Stage II-III Nasop…NCT04448522 · Phase 3 · 📍 GuangzhouClinical Study on the EBV CAR-T /TCR-T Cells in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal CarcinomaNCT05587543 · EARLY Phase 1 · 📍 ShanghaiAn International Study on Pediatric Patients With Rare Tumors.NCT07072143 · n/a · 📍 PadovaEGFR Antibody Combined With PD-1 Inhibitor and Chemotherapy in R/M Nasopharyngeal CarcinomaNCT06802835 · Phase 1, Phase 2 · 📍 GuangzhouTrop2-targeted immunoPET Imaging of Solid TumorsNCT06851663 · Phase 2, Phase 3 · 📍 ShanghaiProspective Immuno-Radiomic Profiling in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated With Proton or Photon Chemoradiothe…NCT07232680 · n/a · 📍 Taoyuan CityEnvafolimab Combined With Chemoradiotherapy and Recombinant Human Endostatin for LA-NPC.NCT06059261 · Phase 2 · 📍 ChongqingIrinotecan Liposome Combined with S-1 in PD-1/L1 Inhibitor Refractory Recurrent or Metastatic NPCNCT06657690 · Phase 2 · 📍 ZhuhaiA Study of MRG003 in Combination With Pucotenlimab Versus Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Patients With Recu…NCT06976190 · Phase 3 · 📍 GuangzhouMRG003 Induction and Capecitabine Maintenance With PD-1 in Locally Recurrent NPCNCT07331428 · Phase 2 · 📍 Fuzhou40.2Gy Versus 49.2Gy Radiotherapy in Low-Risk Target Volume for Chemosensitive Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcin…NCT07328854 · Phase 3 · 📍 Hefei Search more trials →
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Newest research

Latest papers on PubMed
Immunopharmacological Advances in HBV Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma and EBV-Related Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in China: Mech…Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2026 · PMID 42926075Utidelone plus PD-1 Inhibitors as Later-Line Combination Treatment in Advanced Solid Tumors after Failure of Multiple Standard Th…Case Rep Oncol 2026 · PMID 42923970Isolated Brain Metastasis from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma 6 Years after the Initial Diagnosis: A Case Report and a Comprehensive Re…Case Rep Oncol 2026 · PMID 42923284Estimating Individualized Survival Benefit of Consolidative Metastasis-Directed Radiotherapy Following Chemoimmunotherapy in Naso…MedComm (2020) 2026 · PMID 42921250GClnc1 as an emerging oncogenic regulator with mechanistic insights and clinical implications in human cancers.iScience 2026 · PMID 42920755Targeting ZFAND5 by EBV-encoded miR-BART19-3p drives malignant phenotypes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Am J Cancer Res 2026 · PMID 42908876Meta-analysis of 990 EBV genomes identifies EBER2 SNP7048 and its interaction with HLA-A*11:01 driving nasopharyngeal carcinoma r…Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2026 · PMID 42900724Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Biliary Tract Cancer: Current Evidence, Emerging Targets, and Future Directions.Curr Oncol Rep 2026 · PMID 42900315 Ask a research question in the Hypothesis Lab →
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