[Nasal and nasopharyngeal cancer in animals and man]

This review brings together current knowledge about nasal cancer in animals and man. It must be emphasized that nasal cavity and sinus cancer (NCSC) and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) are different entities. NPC shows strong regional or ethnic concentration, especially Asian races have a particularly high incidence of NPC. Association of this disease with herpes virus (Epstein-Barr virus) has been made and other environmental agents such as smoking coupled with genetic predisposition, may also be involved. No suitable animal model for human NPC has been described, as most animals lack a region analogous to human nasopharynx. The histologic features of sinonasal mucosa are generally different from those of the nasopharynx. In many animals a region definitely analogous to human nasopharynx is not so obvious. The epiglottis is often functionally juxtaposed to the end of the palate and a region logically termed the pharynx may be very small or absent. Thus, the posterior nasal passage might be more legitimately considered a part of the nasal cavity. Thus, analysis of nasal area tumors within an animal species may not require a clear separation of a nasopharyngeal or epipharyngeal area, but when comparisons are made with human tumors the important specificities of nasopharyngeal pathology should be kept in mind.