Nasopharyngeal Cancer Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Nasopharyngeal Cancer Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Over the next few years, the market for nasopharyngeal cancer is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.7%.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the global nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) market. For instance, a November 2021 article by NCBI stated that the COVID-19 period saw a delay in the diagnosis of head and neck malignancies in comparison to the pre-COVID-19 period.Thus, the decrease in diagnosis of such patients reduced the number of surgeries and treatments, thereby affecting the market demand for the therapies among the end users. However, in the current scenario, it was expected that with the decreasing COVID-19 cases and the reopening of surgical and diagnosis centers globally, the market would witness significant growth over the forecast period.

The growth of the studied market is being fueled by the increasing number of cases of nasopharyngeal cancer and the growing awareness of treatment and diagnosis among the general public. Both of these things are expected to keep the market growing.

The American Cancer Society's revised data, released in August 2022, reported that throughout life, the risk of NPC increases slowly, but people of any age get the disease, including children. In places with a high risk of NPC, like China, people are often diagnosed between 45 and 59 years old, when they are at their peak. In places with a low risk of NPC, like the United States, cases are more common in young adults (15 to 24 years old), then drop until another peak between 65 and 79 years old.

Also, the source mentioned above says that NPC is much more common in some parts of South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.Native Americans in the Arctic also experience it more frequently. Additionally, the World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF) data updated in 2022 shows that NPC is the 22nd most prevalent cancer in the world, and in terms of prevalence, it ranks 22nd among cancers in women and 18th among cancers in men. As per the WCRF, around 133,000 new NPC cases were diagnosed globally in 2020. Thus, to coordinate with the disease burden, the government and major companies are focusing more on developing therapies and drugs. This is anticipated to drive market growth.

During the analysis period, the market also grew because there were more research and development (R&D) activities, collaborations, strategic partnerships, product approvals, and product launches.For instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a biologics license application (BLA) in July 2022 for toripalimab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin as first-line treatment for patients with advanced recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.The BLA will be reviewed over the next 6 months, with a prescription drug user-free act date of December 23, 2022, and a launch in the first quarter of 2023 after the approval. Thus, such developments in the market are anticipated to fuel market growth.

So, the studied market is likely to grow because there are more cases of nasopharyngeal cancer and more people are becoming aware of how to treat and diagnose the disease. But the high costs and bad side effects of the treatments are likely to slow the growth of the market over the next few years.

The application of anti-cancer medications is known as chemotherapy (or "chemo"). According to American Cancer Society data updated in August 2022, for NPC, these medications are typically administered intravenously (IV) or orally as an infusion. The demand for chemotherapy is increasing with the increasing prevalence of NPC among the target population globally. The source also reported that there may be up to 25 to 30 cases per 100,000 men and 15 to 20 cases per 100,000 women in various regions of China. Thus, it is expected to fuel segment growth over the forecast period.

The research article published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in April 2022 reported that the standard treatment for people with recurrent or metastatic NPC is a combination of chemotherapy using gemcitabine (Gemzar) and cisplatin (available as a generic drug), and as per the researchers, when Tislelizumab was used in combination with chemotherapy, it helped people with advanced NPC live longer.

In addition, the research article published by NCBI in January 2022 reported that the addition of chemotherapy reduced the risk of death, with an absolute survival increase in children aged 5 and older of 6.1% and 8.4%, respectively. Thus, such research in favor of chemotherapy is anticipated to drive segment growth.

Furthermore, the companies in the market are prioritizing product development and innovation to bring advanced therapies to NPC sufferers. Continuous product approvals are one of the major factors bolstering the segment's growth. For instance, in June 2022, the first-line treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using BeiGene's tislelizumab and chemotherapy will be approved by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). As a result, related developments and clinical trials for several chemotherapy drugs are expected to increase, driving segment growth.

Thus, due to the rising incidence of NPCs and new product launches, the chemotherapy segment is poised to witness growth over the forecast period.

North America is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to the rising prevalence of nasopharyngeal cancer cases and the high awareness among the population towards treatment and diagnosis in North American countries. Also, the region is dominated by the presence of key market players, which leads to technological advances and the release of new products, which drive the growth of the studied market over the next few years.

The rising cases of NPC in Canada are increasing the demand for its drugs and, thus, driving the growth of the studied market. For instance, the Cancer Genobocan database in 2020 reported that 298 NPC cases are expected to be reported in Canada in the year 2025, and this number is expected to increase by 398 by 2040.

Moreover, an article published by the journal Cancer Medicine in February 2022 reported that Mexico has reported a significant increase in NPC cases over the past decade. Thus, increasing cancer cases are increasing the demand for NPC drugs and thus driving the growth of the studied market in the region.

Also, the growth of the studied market in the region is being driven by regulatory approvals for the release of new drugs and research.For instance, in November 2021, the USFDA granted priority review to the first-line toripalimab regimen in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. a biologics license application (BLA) for the combination of toripalimab (Tuoyi) plus gemcitabine and cisplatin for patients with advanced recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Thus, the increasing number of NPC cases and the clinical studies for the development of a new drug to treat NPC in the region are expected to accelerate the market's growth.

Since there are only a few companies in the world, the market for nasopharyngeal cancer is not very competitive. The studied market consists of many global and regional market players, which hold most of the market shares and are well known. Some of the market players in the studied market are Biocon Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi, Theravectys SA, and Eli Lilly and Company.

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