Case Report: Pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma masquerading as benign lymphadenopathy: diagnostic pitfalls in two cases - Report - MDSpire

Case Report: Pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma masquerading as benign lymphadenopathy: diagnostic pitfalls in two cases

  • By

  • Yuhan Qiu

  • Yan Cheng

  • Aiqin Lin

  • Hui Li

  • Jie Liu

  • Wei Zhang

  • June 16, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Report: Pediatric Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Presenting as Benign Lymphadenopathy

Overview

This report details two pediatric cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) initially misdiagnosed as benign lymphoproliferative disorders.

Background

Pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare malignancy that often presents with cervical lymphadenopathy.

Data Highlights

No numerical data or trial data presented in the article.

Key Findings

['Two pediatric cases of NPC presented with isolated cervical lymphadenopathy.', 'Initial misdiagnoses included Kimura disease and classical Hodgkin lymphoma.', 'Both patients underwent multimodal chemoradiotherapy and are under follow-up.', 'Persistent cervical lymphadenopathy in children should prompt early biopsy and cytokeratin staining.', 'EBER in-situ hybridization is recommended to expedite diagnosis.']

Clinical Implications

Maintain a high index of suspicion for NPC in pediatric patients with persistent cervical lymphadenopathy.

Conclusion

The cases presented illustrate the diagnostic challenges of pediatric NPC and the importance of recognizing its potential to mimic benign conditions. Enhanced awareness and diagnostic protocols are necessary to improve outcomes in affected children.

Related Resources & Content

  1. CACA guidelines for holistic integrative management of adolescent and childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma | Holistic Integrative Oncology | Springer Nature Link, 2025 -- CACA guidelines
  2. SEOM–TTCC clinical guideline for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (update 2025) | Clinical and Translational Oncology | Springer Nature Link, 2026 -- SEOM guidelines
  3. Frontiers in Oncology — Case Report: A rare pediatric case of secretory carcinoma of the parotid gland with high-grade components misdiagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma
  4. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism — Evaluating Pediatric Patients with Potential Pheochromocytoma or Paraganglioma in Comparison to Neuroblastoma
  5. Frontiers in Medicine — Case Report: A rare triad of neoplasms: navigating synchronous accessory breast cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma, and inflammatory nasal papilloma
  6. Frontiers in Surgery — Giant Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in the Subglottic Region: A Case Study
  7. CACA guidelines for holistic integrative management of adolescent and childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma | Holistic Integrative Oncology | Springer Nature Link
  8. SEOM–TTCC clinical guideline for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (update 2025) | Clinical and Translational Oncology | Springer Nature Link
  9. A pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma masquerading as Kimura disease: a rare case report from Nepal - PMC
  10. Diagnostic performance of EBV DNA load testing for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in nasopharyngeal swab outperforms the approach in other specimens - PubMed
  11. Plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA for disease surveillance in endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Analysis of a real-world database - ScienceDirect
  12. Multimodal Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults-Extended Follow-Up of the NPC-2003-GPOH Study Cohort and Patients of the Interim Cohort - PMC
  13. Treatment of Childhood Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma With Induction Chemotherapy and Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy: Results of the Children’s Oncology Group ARAR0331 Study - PMC
  14. International Consensus Guideline on Delineation of the Clinical Target Volumes at Different Dose Levels for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (2024 Version) - ScienceDirect
  15. Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Induction Chemotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma | New England Journal of Medicine
  16. Final Overall Survival Analysis of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Induction Chemotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Randomized Phase III Trial - PubMed
  17. Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Radiotherapy vs Chemoradiotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Randomized Clinical Trial - PMC

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