The HPV vaccine is linked to a drastic reduction in head and neck cancers in adolescent boys and men, new research finds. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer . But the virus is also linked to a number of other cancers , including penile, anal and vaginal cancers.
It also accounts for the majority — up to 70% — of head and neck cancers , which affect the throat and mouth. Men are about twice as likely to develop these cancers than women, according to the National Cancer Institute. The HPV vaccine, initially approved for adolescent girls, protects against strains of the virus linked to cervical cancer and has been found to significantly reduce rates of the cancer .
But there’s growing evidence that the vaccine also protects against other HPV-related cancers. “We want males to be thinking about HPV vaccination not just as something that protects female patients, but also male patients,” said Jefferson DeKloe, a research fellow in the department of otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University, who specializes in head and neck surgery and who co-authored the research. The findings will be presented next week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Prior research showed a downward trend in oral infections with HPV strains known to cause cancer. That was a promising sign, said Dr. Glenn J.
Hanna, a medical oncolog.
