Surgical resection is not required for NPC

China's NPC is a high incidence of malignant tumors of the 10 one. Generally speaking cancer cure is surgical resection, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma is the exception, the first choice is radiation therapy.
Three reasons:
(1) special anatomical location. Nasopharyngeal cancer occurred in position concealed, Chui only 5.5-6.0 cm in diameter, the shape of a small matchbox, rectangular cavity. For its posterior cervical spine, the top wall of the skull base, cracking a hole sublingual, glossopharyngeal, vagus, nerve and important arteriovenous access, also resulting invasive intracranial NPC, a major artery on both sides of the wall, venous and lymphatic organizations. In the great vessels, enveloping the tiny cranial nerves is difficult tumor radical surgery, not more difficult for these important structural damage, "because the restrictions on the anatomy, nasopharyngeal cancer surgery non-ideal methods," concludes that there are objective basis.
(2) surgical lesions to the rapid development brought about difficulties and limitations. Tumor expand upward into the middle cranial fossa, many cranial nerve damage to the deep cervical lymph node metastasis, its transfer rate is as high as 60% -80%, can also transfer to the brain and neck, but also the distance to the liver and metastasis. Nasopharyngeal cancer is more highly malignant undifferentiated or poorly differentiated carcinoma, the early diagnosis was only 4% -7%, attendance is a more advanced patients.
(3) radiotherapy well. Their 5-year survival rate up to 49.5%, radiotherapy may be the original structure, less trauma, so deep X-ray, cobalt 60, the accelerator has become the principal means of treatment.
Of course, there are individual cases of the use of surgical resection, such as tumor metastasis signs without limitations, or residual tumor after radiotherapy were.