Clinical symptoms and imaging features of fungal infection are confused with those of atypical nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and therefore development of a more effective diagnostic method is essential. It is a common knowledge that there is a significant association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and nonkeratinizing NPC. However, fungal infection may be considered to be a vital etiologic agent contributing to the NPC and more evidence is needed to be approved this theory. We report on a rare case of a patient with atypical nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who suffered from chronic fungal infection and was diagnosed initially as Aspergillosis. Following anti-aspergillus infection therapy, the repeated deep biopsy of the maxillary sinus and MRI confirmed the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
Keywords: Aspergillosis; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; atypical symptom; diagnosis; fungal infection; pathogenic factor.