What is the nasopharynx?
This page tells you about the nasopharynx and the other parts of the pharynx. There is information below on
Parts of the pharynx
Pharynx is the medical name for the throat. The pharynx is in 3 parts, and the nasopharynx is one of these parts. The nasopharynx is the part of the throat (pharynx) that connects to your nose. Cancer that develops in the nasopharynx is called nasopharyngeal cancer.
The two other parts of the pharynx are the oropharynx and the hypopharynx. There is information about cancers that start in these areas in the ‘mouth and oropharyngeal cancer’ and ‘cancer of the larynx’ sections of CancerHelp UK.
What throat cancer means
People sometimes use the term ‘throat cancer’ to describe cancer that develops in any of the 3 parts of the pharynx, or even the thyroid gland, the voice box (larynx) or the gullet (oesophagus). To avoid confusion, it is important to know the exact medical name of the cancer you have so that you can find the right information.
Lymph nodes in your neck
Lymph nodes are small, bean shaped glands that are part of the lymphatic system. There are major groups of lymph nodes in the neck. Cancers that start in the nasopharynx can spread to these lymph nodes.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About nasopharyngeal cancer section.
Pharynx is the medical name for the throat. The pharynx is in 3 parts and the nasopharynx is one of these parts. The nasopharynx connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth. Cancer that develops in the nasopharynx is called nasopharyngeal cancer. Nasopharynx is pronounced ‘nas-o-fa-rinks’. Nasopharyngeal is pronounced 'nas-o-fa-rin-jee-al'. You can’t see your own nasopharynx directly, but if you look inside your mouth in the mirror, it lies above your soft palate (the soft area at the back of the roof of your mouth) and uvula (the dangly bit) at the back of the mouth.
The other two parts of the pharynx are
- The oropharynx - the part of the throat just behind the mouth that connects the mouth to the top of the throat. Doctors call cancers that start in this area, oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharynx is pronounced 'oar-o-fa-rinks'. Oropharyngeal is pronounced 'oar-o-fa-rin-jee-al'
- The hypopharynx (sometimes called the laryngopharynx) - sits behind and on either side of the larynx (voice box). Cancer can also start in the hypopharynx, pronounced ‘hy-po-fa-rinks’
This section of CancerHelp UK is about nasopharyngeal cancer. There is information about cancer of the oropharynx in the mouth and oropharyngeal cancer section of CancerHelp UK. There is information about cancer of the hypopharynx in the cancer of the larynx section of CancerHelp UK.
Many people get confused about what throat cancer really means. Pharynx is the medical name for the throat.
‘Throat cancer’ is not a very exact medical term so doctors generally don’t use it. Many patients and relatives may use throat cancer to mean cancer that develops in any of the 3 parts of the pharynx. Or even other structures near the pharynx, such as the thyroid gland or the voice box (larynx). Some people also use it to mean cancer of the gullet (oesophagus).
To avoid confusion, it is important to know the exact medical name of the cancer you or your relative has so that you can find the right information. Cancers are treated according to where they started. The treatment for thyroid cancer is completely different to treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer, for example. If you are not sure of the medical name of your cancer, ask your doctor or nurse to write it down for you.
There is more detailed information about what people may consider to be ‘throat cancer’ in the questions and answers section of CancerHelp UK.
Like other parts of the body, the neck contains lymph nodes (also called lymph glands). These small, bean shaped glands are part of the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes are often the first place cancer cells spread to when they break away from a tumour.
There are major groups of lymph nodes in the neck. If you have nasopharyngeal cancer, it may spread to these lymph nodes. You may need radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy to treat the cancer in these lymph nodes.
There is more information about the lymph glands and the lymphatic system in the about your body section of CancerHelp UK.
Cancer that begins in the lymph nodes (rather than spreading to them) is called lymphoma. If you are looking for information about lymphoma, this is not the right information for you. You need to go to the non Hodgkin’s lymphoma section or Hodgkin’s lymphoma section of CancerHelp UK.
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