Question:
All of the following statements about nasopharyngeal carcinoma are true, except:
All of the following statements about nasopharyngeal carcinoma are true, except:
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The nasopharynx is deep and the tumour is radiosensitive, so the primary treatment is not surgery.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Bimodal age distribution
- Nasopharyngectomy with radical neck dissection is the treatment of choice
- IgA antibody to EBV is observed
- Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological subtype
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) arises in the fossa of Rosenmuller. It is common in Southeast Asia and southern China and is linked to Epstein-Barr virus, salted fish and genetic factors.
Step 2: Option A is true. NPC shows a bimodal age distribution, with a smaller peak in late adolescence and young adults and a larger peak in the fifth to sixth decades.
Step 3: Option C is true. Raised IgA antibodies against EBV antigens (anti-VCA and anti-EA IgA) are characteristic and are used as a marker for screening and follow up.
Step 4: Option D is true. Histologically NPC is a squamous cell carcinoma; the WHO classes it as keratinising, non-keratinising and undifferentiated types, all of squamous origin, with the undifferentiated type being most common in endemic areas.
Step 5: Option B is false and is the exception. The nasopharynx is deep and surgically inaccessible, and the tumour is very radiosensitive. The treatment of choice is radiotherapy, with chemotherapy added for advanced disease; surgery is not the primary treatment. Neck dissection is reserved for residual nodal disease after radiotherapy.
Hence the false statement, and the answer, is Option B.
Step 2: Option A is true. NPC shows a bimodal age distribution, with a smaller peak in late adolescence and young adults and a larger peak in the fifth to sixth decades.
Step 3: Option C is true. Raised IgA antibodies against EBV antigens (anti-VCA and anti-EA IgA) are characteristic and are used as a marker for screening and follow up.
Step 4: Option D is true. Histologically NPC is a squamous cell carcinoma; the WHO classes it as keratinising, non-keratinising and undifferentiated types, all of squamous origin, with the undifferentiated type being most common in endemic areas.
Step 5: Option B is false and is the exception. The nasopharynx is deep and surgically inaccessible, and the tumour is very radiosensitive. The treatment of choice is radiotherapy, with chemotherapy added for advanced disease; surgery is not the primary treatment. Neck dissection is reserved for residual nodal disease after radiotherapy.
Hence the false statement, and the answer, is Option B.
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