Pharyngeal cancer is a type of throat cancer that forms in the pharynx, the hollow tube that runs from the back of the nose to the top of the esophagus. The pharynx has three distinct parts: the nasopharynx (upper part), the oropharynx (middle part, including the back of the mouth, base of the tongue, and tonsils), and the hypopharynx (lower part). Cancer can form in the cells of all three areas and has different characteristics depending on its location. See Head and Neck Cancer for signs, symptoms and treatments.