Nose and throat cancer. Light micrograph of a section through throat tissue showing a nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC, centre). NPC is a malignant (cancerous) tumour arising from the mucus lining (mucosal epithelium) of the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the uppermost part of the throat, where it meets the nasal cavity. This tumour may have arisen due to smoking tobacco or eating nitrosamine-rich foods (such as salt-cured fish), or possibly as a result of being infected with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). The most effective treatment is a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.