In the past, CT was often used for imaging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but in recent years, it has been found that CT has a low rate of soft tissue respectively and cannot accurately show the tumor site, extent and infiltration depth, which has an impact on clinical staging and treatment. However, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can show tumor site, infiltration range and metastatic lymph nodes more clearly, compared with CT, the advantages of MRI are as follows.
The detection rate of soft tissue invasion around the nasopharynx is increased by 20-35% 2. The detection rate of bone invasion at the skull base is increased by 17-20% 3. MRI has advantages over CT. Therefore, it is recommended to use MRI as much as possible when examining nasopharyngeal cancer.