Screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in high-incidence regions——Next steps
Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)infection is a well-established risk factor in the development of nonkera-tinizing and undifferentiated forms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)common in parts of China and Southeast Asia.Early detection of NPC can significantly improve survival rates,as the 5-year survival rate for patients diag-nosed at an early stage can exceed 90%after treatment.Studies have demonstrated that screening for NPC using EBV markers is an effective tool for identifying individuals with the disease.Future efforts should focus on imple-menting screening programs in high-incidence populations,assessing and refining screening algorithms,and ex-ploring new,potentially more cost-effective screening methods.It is crucial to ensure that any new approaches are validated as superior or non-inferior to existing protocol before being adopted on a wider scale.The success of these screening tools in reducing NPC-related morbidity and mortality will depend on their effective implementa-tion and ensuring access for the populations most in need of preventive interventions.This opinion piece briefly summarizes the current evidence supporting EBV-based screening for NPC detection and discusses future steps,including:1)the implementation of effective NPC screening programs,2)the evaluation of improvements in screening methodologies,and 3)the consideration of novel approaches to screening.
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