Nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Updating of the topic and frequency in our environment

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor arising iri the epithelium that lines the surface and crypts of the nasopharyngx. Epidemiologic and genetic variations, viral and chemical factors, and their implications in the etiology and pathogenesis of the tumor have been carefully studied specially in the last decade. The serologic and molecular data implicate the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) in the etiology of the NPC but the mechanism of its action remains unresolved. The present paper provides the most recent information about the neoplasm, and gives a summary or the observations related to the tumor in Medellin, Colombia, S.A.