Nasopharyngeal carcinoma： Advances in genomics and molecular genetics

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） is a squamous-cell carcinoma that arises in the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx [1]. This neoplasm has a notable ethnic and geographic distribution, being of high prevalence in southern China but rare in other parts of the world [2]. Familial clustering of NPC has been observed in diverse populations [3]. Elevated levels of circulating free Epstein-Barr virus （EBV） DNA and EBV-related antibodies in sera, as well as EBV DNA in tumor ceils, have been consistently detected in individuals with NPC [4,5].