The association between chronic sinonasal inflammation and nasopharyngeal carcinoma - A systematic review and meta-analysis

There has been mounting evidence that inflammation is a key risk factor towards the development of certain cancers. Past studies have shown associations between nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and sinonasal tract inflammation. We aim to conduct a review and meta-analysis on the association between NPC and chronic sinus inflammation. We conducted a meta-analysis, searching 4 international databases from 1 January 1973 to 28 March 2022 for studies reporting on sinonasal inflammation and NPC in adult patients (>18 years old). We included cohort, case–control or cross-sectional studies. These studies must examine the association between a prior history of sinonasal inflammation and the risk of developing NPC. The outcome is the incidence of NPC in patients who had prior sinonasal inflammation. 8 studies (8245 NPC; 1,036,087 non-NPC) were included. The overall odds ratio (OR) of patients having NPC after reporting sinonasal inflammation was 1.81 (95 % CI 1.73–1.89). Of note, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) (OR of 1.78 (95 %-CI: 1.68–1.90)) was more closely associated with an increased risk of NPC, as compared to allergic rhinitis (AR) (OR of 1.60 (95 %-CI: 1.52–1.68)). Chronic sinonasal inflammation is significantly associated with NPC in this systemic review and meta-analysis. The true cause-effect relationship and the potential effects of targeted screening need to be explored thoroughly with large scale prospective studies.