Nasopharyngeal biopsy in adults: a large-scale study in a non endemic area

Limited data exist on the referral criteria for endoscopic-guided nasopharyngeal biopsy to rule out nasopharyngeal malignancy among adults in a non-endemic area.

Retrospective study of all adult patients that had been referred to our outpatient clinic to undergo endoscopic-guided nasopharyngeal biopsy to exclude nasopharyngeal malignancy between 1/2006-10/2013. All medical consultation referral letters were reviewed, and statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate clinically significant predictors (demographics, clinical manife- stations, nasopharyngeal endoscopic findings) for nasopharyngeal malignancy.

A total of 470 patients (470 nasopharyngeal biopsies, 54.9% males and 66% smokers) were included. The most common pathological result was adenoid/lymphoid hyperplasia (76.2%). The overall negative rate of all biopsies for malignancy was 94.2%. Twenty-seven patients had nasopharyngeal malignancy: 22 had squamous cell carcinoma and 5 had non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma. Advanced age, cervical mass, and suspicious nasopharyngeal mass were independent risk factors for nasopharyngeal malignancy on univariate and multivariate analyses.

Nasopharyngeal biopsy may safely be avoided in adults living in a non-endemic area for NPC who are free of the risk factors of advanced age, the presence of a cervical mass, and suspicious nasopharyngeal mass.