Human Papilloma Virus and Oral Cancer

Connection between Head and Neck Cancer and Genital HPV

Jun 13, 2009

There's a frightening link between oral cancers and the genital HPV virus. Soon the HPV vaccine Gardisil will be approved for use in both men and women.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) causes warts, all kinds. Most are just a nuisance. But genital HPV is more serious; a sexually transmitted disease. Yet the danger of HPV goes far beyond that associated with the typical STD. Several varieties of genital HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 35) also contribute to cancer, with up to 95% of cervical cancers known to be caused by HPV.

Gardasil: The HPV Vaccine

The strong link between cervical cancer and HPV inspired research that ultimately resulted in Gardasil, the first vaccine to protect women from genital HPV and cervical cancer. FDA-approved in 2006, the Gardasil is indicated for pre-teen girls and young women. However, since HPV was first linked cancer in the mid-1980s, there has been mounting evidence associating HPV with other types of cancers, increasing the interest in approving the vaccine for both men and women.

HPV and Oral Cancers

Dr. Maura Gillison has been a leading researcher in the investigation between the human papilloma virus and oral cancers. Her research has established that HPV is a primary cause of the 5,600 cancers of the tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat that occur each year.

Her most recent study examined 30 years of National Cancer Institute (NCI) data on oral cancers. The found that the rate of HPV-related oral cancers have risen steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, to a point where HPV oral cancers are nearly as common as oral cancers that result from tobacco and alcohol.

Both Men and Woman at Risk for Oral Cancer

Oral HPV infection is the result of oral sex, meaning that both men and women can be at risk for developing oral cancer from HPV. But there are two silver linings to this cloud. Treatment for HPV-related oral cancers is becoming more effective, and an increased risk of oral cancer for males may motivate men to get the vaccination and the parents of teenage boys to consider the vaccine for their sons. End result — if more young women and men get vaccinated against HPV, the incidence of HPV-related cancers may fall dramatically in the future.

Sources

Gillison M., Chaturvedi A., Lowy D. (2008) "HPV prophylactic vaccines and the potential prevention of noncervical cancers in both men and women." Cancer. Vol. 113, no. 10 Suppl.: 3036.

Ryerson A., Peters E., Coughlin S., Chen V., Gillison M., Reichman M., Wu X., Chaturvedi A., Kawaoka K. (2008) "Burden of potentially human papillomavirus-associated cancers of the oropharynx and oral cavity in the US, 1998-2003". Cancer. Vol. 113, no. 10 Suppl. (November 15): 2901.

The copyright of the article Human Papilloma Virus and Oral Cancer in Human Infections is owned by Tami Port. Permission to republish Human Papilloma Virus and Oral Cancer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.