Knowledge of nasopharynx and nasopharyngeal carcinoma during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Indonesian community and the lesson learnt for the future management

Background: Nasopharynx is a hidden structure inside the nasal cavity. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) originated from nasopharynx and is one of the most common malignancies in Asian countries. Previously, the knowledge of the community regarding this disease was notably low. Massive news on nasopharyngeal swab (NS) during the pandemic COVID-19 era may increase the community's knowledge about the nasopharynx and NPC origin. Furthermore, a future strategy can be proposed on tackling the NPC in the post pandemic era. Methods: A multi-region study was done with an online questionnaire. A figure of nasopharynx was included in the questionnaire. The participant should choose one of the correct locations of the nasopharynx, the origin of NPC, and the sign and symptoms of NPC. Results: There were 377 subjects who fulfilled the questionnaire. The origin of subjects was from 4 main regions in Indonesia. Knowledge of NS was very high (98%) while the knowledge of nasopharynx location was 82% and NPC origin was 77%. Conclusion: The knowledge about nasopharynx location and origin of NPC was relatively high in the pandemic COVID-19 era. It is assumed that this may become one of the positive impacts of NS knowledge. This phenomenon could be a lesson to learn on combating NPC in the future.