Recent Therapeutic Breakthroughs and Scientific Insights

The Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma GRC is the premier international scientific conference focused on advancing basic and clinical research on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). NPC is a deadly cancer arising in the nasopharynx which has high incidence in particular regions such as Southeast Asia, Northern Africa, the middle-East and Alaska. Over 130,000 new cases per year occur worldwide, with the peak age at NPC diagnosis occurring in the mid-forties (two decades earlier than for many other common cancers). Thus, NPC has a significant socioeconomic impact globally. The etiology of this unique cancer includes three significant co-factors: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection, host genetics and environmental influences. Because of its proclivity for early lymphatic spread, NPC is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the cancer is harder to cure and requires aggressive treatment. This conference will focus on the roles of EBV, the host immune response and clinical translation into novel immunotherapeutic strategies, recent advances in clinical trials and new drug targets, human genetics and environmental factors that together cause this aggressive cancer. The conference program includes an array of internationally renowned speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The 2026 NPC GRC meeting will feature cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical research presentations on NPC and provide a unique forum for idea exchange among scientists, clinicians, and industry representatives to catalyze the translation of recent scientific advances into patient care. Specific sessions concerning EBV and NPC pathogenesis, tumor microenvironment, epidemiology, genomics and epigenetics, pre-clinical models, immunology and vaccine, biomarker, clinical trial and novel therapy as well as future challenges in basic, translational and clinical research will occur. The conference will thus provide a stimulating forum to strengthen interactions between basic scientists, translational researchers and physicians, and between junior and senior members of the NPC field.