ABSTRACT
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the head and neck region. NPC has the characteristics of insidious onset, strong invasiveness and early lymph node metastasis. A variety of signaling pathways play a role in the invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but the specific mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. Recent studies have found that DNA methylation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related genes can affect the invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through a variety of signaling pathways including Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. This article reviews the specific mechanism of DNA methylation affecting the invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through the above-mentioned signaling pathways.