Can Nasopharyngeal Cancer Be Prevented?
There's no sure way to prevent nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). But there are some things you can do that might lower your risk of getting NPC and other types of cancers.
Avoid tobacco and alcohol
Both tobacco and alcohol use have clearly been linked to many cancers, as well as other health problems. Since there appear to be some links between tobacco and heavy alcohol use with NPC, especially in the US, it might help to avoid these to lower a person’s risk of NPC. Avoiding them in general can have many health benefits.
Avoid certain infections
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
Infection with EBV has been linked to NPC. Scientists are trying to make an EBV vaccine, but at this time there's no known way to prevent this infection.
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
Some research shows that certain high-risk types of HPV may be linked to a small group of NPC cases especially in younger people who don’t smoke. Getting an HPV vaccine and trying to avoid HPV infection might help prevent NPC and some forms of cancer, including cancers of the penis, cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, mouth, and throat.
See HPV (human papillomavirus) to learn more about HPV and vaccines to prevent HPV infection.
Avoid certain foods
Because eating certain types of foods, such as diets high in salt-cured fish, have been linked with NPC risk, eating less or not eating some types of food may lower the risk. This is especially true in parts of the world where NPC is common, such as southern China, northern Africa, and the Arctic region. Descendants of Southeast Asians who immigrated to the United States and eat a typical American diet, for example, have a lower risk of developing NPC. But these dietary factors are not thought to account for all cases of NPC in most other parts of the world.
- Written by
- References
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Cui X, Snapper CM. Epstein Barr Virus: Development of Vaccines and Immune Cell Therapy for EBV-Associated Diseases. Front Immunol. 2021;12:734471. Published 2021 Oct 8. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.734471.
Du T, Chen K, Zheng S, Bao M, Huang Y, Wu K. Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2019;43(11):2262-2273. doi:10.1111/acer.14184.
Farrell PJ. Epstein-Barr Virus and Cancer. Annu Rev Pathol. 2019;14:29-53. doi:10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012418-013023.
Hui EP and Chan A. Epidemiology, etiology, and diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In: Shah S, ed. UpToDate. Waltham, Mass.: UpToDate, 2021. https://www.uptodate.com. Accessed May 3, 2022.
Kaidar-Person O, Gil Z, Billan S. Precision medicine in head and neck cancer. Drug Resist Updat. 2018;40:13-16. doi:10.1016/j.drup.2018.09.001.
Leeman JE, Katabi N, Wong RJ, Lee NY and Romesser PB. Ch. 65 - Cancer of the Head and Neck. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier; 2020.
Lin JH, Wen CP, Jiang CQ, et al. Smoking and nasopharyngeal cancer: individual data meta-analysis of six prospective studies on 334 935 men. Int J Epidemiol. 2021;50(3):975-986. doi:10.1093/ije/dyab060.
Long M, Fu Z, Li P, Nie Z. Cigarette smoking and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. BMJ Open. 2017;7(10):e016582. Published 2017 Oct 5. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016582.
Ozoya OO, Sokol L, Dalia S. EBV-Related Malignancies, Outcomes and Novel Prevention Strategies. Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2016;16(1):4-21. 2017-016582.
Rühl J, Leung CS, Münz C. Vaccination against the Epstein-Barr virus. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020;77(21):4315-4324. doi:10.1007/s00018-020-03538-3.
Smets F, Sokal EM. Prevention and treatment for Epstein-Barr virus infection and related cancers. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2014;193:173-190.
Turati F, Bravi F, Polesel J, et al. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and nasopharyngeal cancer risk in Italy. Cancer Causes Control. 2017;28(2):89-95.
Last Revised: August 1, 2022
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
American Cancer Society Emails
Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.
More in Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Help us end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
