Project 467249

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer that forms in the throat at the level of the nose. The location of the tumour makes it very difficult to detect early, when it is still small, as it does not usually cause any symptoms. This is problematic for both primary as well as recurrent disease. The gold standard for diagnosis and monitoring is currently endoscopy, where a physician inserts a flexible tube with a light and a camera to look for a visible tumour which is then biopsied. As a result, disease is only identified at a late stage when the tumour is larger, and the prognosis is significantly worse as a result. Small molecules called microRNAs can have different levels in the blood of patients who have cancer compared to those who do not, and thus have the potential to be used as biomarkers for specific cancer types. My goal is to identify microRNAs in the blood that can be used as a biomarker for presence of NPC. I will collect blood samples from patients with NPC as well as healthy patients without NPC to determine which microRNAs show different expression in the blood of NPC patients. Developing a simple blood test to detect NPC and monitor for recurrence at early stages after treatment will improve patient outcomes and quality of life.