Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial tumor uniquely prevalent in southern Chinese. HLA‐A2 is associated with NPC. In a previous study, we showed that the genes associated with susceptibility to NPC are primarily located within the HLA‐A locus in Taiwanese NPC patients. However, the pathogenic genes causing NPC susceptibility remain unknown. Here, 8 polymorphic microsatellite markers distributed over a 1 megabase region surrounding the HLA‐A locus were subjected to genetic analysis for the NPC‐susceptibility locus. Statistical studies of associated alleles detected on each microsatellite locus showed that the NPC‐ susceptibility genes are most likely located between the D6S510 and D6S211 markers within a 132 kb segment containing the HLA‐A locus. These results undoubtedly would facilitate the further positional cloning of the NPC‐susceptibility locus, which has been elusive for the past 30 years. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.