Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is relatively rare in most parts of the world. In North America, it occurs in 7 out of every one million persons. This may add up to about 2000 cases a year in the United States. However, this cancer is much more common in areas of Asia and North Africa, and in particular, in Southeast China, where it is a fairly common cancer. It is also more common among Inuits of Alaska. It is also found more often in immigrant groups in the United States, such as recent Chinese immigrants and those from Southeast Asia such as the Hmong. In the last few years the rate at which Americans, including Chinese immigrants, have been developing this cancer has been slowly dropping.

NPC most often affects people beginning at age 30 and older but can be seen in children. About half of patients are less than 55 years old. NPC is found in men about twice as often as in women. It is 50% more common in blacks than in whites. Last Revised: 08/03/2006