Nasopharyngeal carcinoma CT
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma Microchapters |
Differentiating Nasopharyngeal carcinoma from other Diseases |
---|
Diagnosis |
Treatment |
Case Studies |
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma CT On the Web |
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma CT |
Risk calculators and risk factors for Nasopharyngeal carcinoma CT |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Faizan Sheraz, M.D. [2]
Overview
On the head and neck CT scan, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is characterized by presence of soft tissue masses most commonly centered at the lateral nasopharyngeal recess (fossa of Rosenmüller).
CT scan
On the head and neck CT scan, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is characterized by soft tissue masses most commonly centred at the lateral nasopharyngeal recess (fossa of Rosenmüller). Larger tumours may be seen extending into any direction, eroding:
- Base of skull
On CT scan, assessment of cervical lymph nodes is essential due to the high rate of nodal involvement at the time of diagnosis.[1]
CT has long been used for staging NPC,especially for the detection of skull base tumor involvement with lytic or sclerotic lesions [6, 7], but it has now largely been replaced by MRI for primary and nodal staging. However, CT is still used for radiotherapy planning and, in some centers, is used together with PET using 18F-FDG. PET/CT has been shown to be of value in NPC staging, where the main advantage is for the detection of distant metastasis [8]. It is also used for monitoring patients after therapy and detecting NPC recurrence.