Research into nasopharyngeal cancer

Researchers around the world are looking at better ways to treat nasopharyngeal cancer and manage treatment side effects.

Go to Cancer Research UK’s clinical trials database if you are looking for a trial for nasopharyngeal cancer in the UK. You need to talk to your specialist if there are any trials that you think you might be able to take part in.

Some of the trials on this page have now stopped recruiting people. It takes time before the results are available. This is because the trial team follow the patients for a period of time and collect and analyse the results. We have included some of this ongoing research to give examples of the type of research being carried out in nasopharyngeal cancer.

Research and clinical trials

All cancer treatments must be fully researched before they can be used for everyone. This is so we can be sure that:

• they work
• they work better than the treatments already available
• they are safe

Nasopharyngeal cancer is rare in the UK. Much of the research is taking place in countries where this type of cancer is more common. So not all the research mentioned below is taking place in the UK.  

Research into treatment

Radiotherapy

A study is looking at adjusting the plan of radiotherapy during treatment. This is to target the cancer better and to have less treatment to the surrounding organs.

Before starting radiotherapy, you have a planning appointment. This is to work out where to give the radiotherapy and how much to give. You have a CT scan . This shows the doctor where the cancer is and where to target the treatment. 

Researchers want to improve the radiotherapy planning by doing an MRI scan  and a CT scan. They also want to do another treatment plan after having the first couple of treatments. They hope that by doing this, they can better target the cancer and reduce the radiotherapy to the surrounding organs. This is adaptive radiotherapy. 

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy works by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. It is an area of ongoing research for many different types of cancer.

There are different types of immunotherapy being looked at in head and neck cancer.

Immunotherapy treatment

Early trials with immunotherapy drugs have shown promising results with nasopharyngeal cancer that has come back or has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer). Researchers around the world are looking at different immunotherapy drugs.

These include:

• nivolumab
• pembrolizumab
• camrelizumab
• sintilimab 
• toripalimab
• tislelizumab
• ipilimumab
• treprilimab

Researchers want to find out how helpful it is to have these types of drugs and when the best time would be to have them for nasopharyngeal cancer. They are looking to see if it is helpful to have immunotherapy:

• with chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy
• as part of induction treatment before chemoradiotherapy
• after chemoradiotherapy
• with another immunotherapy drug, either at the same time or one after the other 

Vaccines

Scientists have been developing a vaccine containing the Epstein Barr virus (EBV). EBV is linked to some nasopharyngeal cancers. Researchers hope a vaccine that gets the body’s immune system to recognise and attack EBV might kill cancer cells containing the virus.

Treatment injected into the cancer

T4 immunotherapy is a new cancer treatment. It works by helping a type of white blood cell called T cells attack the cancer. Early research is testing the safest dose of T4 immunotherapy in people with head and neck cancers. Doctors inject the T4 immunotherapy directly into the cancer. The people taking part also have chemotherapy through a drip into the bloodstream. Doctors want to find out if the treatment shrinks or controls the cancer.

Researchers are also looking at a new drug called tigilanol tigate. It is for people with head and neck cancer that has come back. Or spread to other parts of the body. The doctor injects the drug directly into the cancer. They want to see if it kills the cancer cells and to find out more about the side effects.

Research into tests and scans

Researchers are looking at scans and tests to diagnose cancer and see how well treatment works. Also to look at better ways of follow up after treatment.

This includes:

• measuring the growth of blood vessels using a PET-CT scan and a PET- MR scan

• comparing patient-led follow up with a PET-CT scan to standard follow up. To understand the best way to check if the cancer has come back

• testing levels of the Epstein Barr virus in the blood. This may help doctors work out how well treatment is working for nasopharyngeal cancer. They may also be able to use the test to help pick up cancer that has come back after treatment

Research into support for people with head and neck cancer

Research teams are looking at an app to see if it can help support people having treatment for head and neck cancer. They want to find out if people:

• are willing to use the app

• can use the app easily

• find it helps to support them

In another study, researchers want to find out the main concerns of people having cancer treatment. This trial includes people with nasopharyngeal cancer. The aim is to focus support and information based on individual needs. 

Research into side effects of treatment

In trials looking at treatments for cancer, researchers always look at the side effects of treatment both in the short term and long term. They also look at how they affect quality of life. Researchers also do trials to look at specific side effects to see if there are better ways to manage them.

Treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer can cause side effects that can be difficult to live with. Newer radiotherapy techniques are helping to reduce some of these side effects.

Examples of research into side effects include:

• reducing the risk of a dry mouth following radiotherapy
• possible new ways to reduce getting a sore mouth and ulcers after radiotherapy