Nasopharyngeal Cancer

If you see your GP with symptoms that could indicate nasopharyngeal cancer, they'll usually ask about your symptoms and carry out some examinations. This may involve examining your throat using a small mirror and a light.

If your GP thinks further tests are necessary, they'll refer you to hospital. At hospital, a number of different tests may be carried out to check for nasopharyngeal cancer and rule out other conditions.

Some of the tests you may have include:

• a nasendoscopy where a thin, flexible telescope (endoscope) is inserted up your nose and passed down your throat to look for any abnormalities; it's carried out while you're awake, but local anaesthetic can be used to numb your nose and throat
• imaging scans magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans or computerised tomography (CT) scans can be used to check for tumours and determine whether the cancer has spread
• a panendoscopy a more detailed examination of your nose and throat carried out under general anaesthetic (where you're unconscious) using a series of small, rigid telescopes connected together
• a biopsy where a small tissue sample is removed during a panendoscopy so it can be examined in a laboratory

Once these tests are complete, your doctors will be able to confirm whether you have nasopharyngeal cancer. They'll also be able to "stage" the cancer, which means giving it a score to describe how large it is and how far it has spread.

The Cancer Research UK website has more information about the stages of nasopharyngeal cancer .