One of the most important factors in the etiology of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is Epstein-Barr virus (human herpesvirus). Clinically, it has been confirmed that Epstein-Barr virus DNA and virus antigen have been detected in biopsy tumor cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The antibody concentration of Epstein-Barr virus in most patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma is increased, and the virus is positively correlated with the improvement or deterioration of the lesion. The clustering of nasopharyngeal carcinoma occurrence areas reflects that the same geographical environment and living and eating habits are related to the occurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The investigation shows that the nickel content in soil, water and rice in high incidence areas of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is higher than that in other areas, and the nickel content in hair of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma is also higher. The diet with high nickel content may be the promoting factor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In addition, familial chromosome aberration of peripheral blood lymphocytes may be a related factor of genetic susceptibility of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Smoking, chronic inflammation, high-salt diet, frequent staying up late, frequent stress, and frequent eating of fried, smoked or pickled foods lead to endocrine disorders, body dysfunction and decreased immunity, which are also important factors leading to cancer.