Primary clear cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx

A 22-year-old female with epistaxis and nose block had a pink, smooth, mucosa covered lesion occupying the nasopharynx. The histopathology and immunohistochemistry of the lesion confirmed the diagnosis of clear cell carcinoma (CCC). Detailed evaluation ruled out a primary tumor elsewhere in the body. After complete excision of the tumor patient received radiotherapy (60 Gray in 30 fractions over 6 weeks). Patient is recurrence free on her 3-year follow-up. Primary CCC of the head and neck is rare. In the past 30 years, less than 100 cases have been reported in English literature. Out of these, only nine cases had nasopharyngeal origin. The literature review of those cases along with our case report suggest that complete excision of nasopharyngeal CCC along with radiotherapy leads to prolonged recurrence free interval. However, extensive tumors of nasopharynx exhibit poor prognosis with repeated local recurrences.