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HPV-related head and neck cancers rise dramatically in men aged 40-50, doctor says
HPV vaccines were not recommended or approved in the United States until 2006
But “it remains a relatively rare cancer”, says a doctor
CNN
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The vaccine given to prevent cervical cancer in women could also save men’s lives.
Evidence is mounting that the HPV vaccine is also effective in preventing other HPV-related cancers, including those of the head and neck. Although most people who get HPV do not develop cancer, rates of HPV-related head and neck cancers increase dramatically in men between the ages of 40 and 50, according to Dr. Maura L. Gillison, incumbent. . of the Jeg Coughlin Chair in Cancer Research at Ohio State. University center for the fight against cancer.
When Gillison recently gave a presentation showing the rising rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers in men, his audience was shocked. “I’ve never shown a slide where the audience gasped,” she said.
Related: Yes, Oral Sex Can Lead To Cancer
“The risk of contracting this cancer is strongly linked to the date of birth. If you’re a 40 to 45 year old male now, your risk of getting this cancer is significantly higher than a 40 to 45 year old male was three or four decades ago,” Gillison said.
Experts say men in their 40s and 50s have had more sexual partners and had more oral sex than previous generations, significantly increasing their risk of HPV-related head and neck cancer.
Actor Michael Douglas made headlines in 2013 when he announced he was battling HPV-related cancer and contracted it orally. Douglas was 68 when he was diagnosed, but many of the men diagnosed with these HPV-related cancers are much younger.
HPV is usually acquired when young. It can lie dormant, and most oropharyngeal cancers (a type of head and neck cancer) are diagnosed decades later, around age 40 to 50. And the more partners you have, the greater your risk.
HPV vaccines weren’t recommended and approved in the United States until 2006. And the vaccine wasn’t even recommended for boys until 2011.
So what’s an aging Gen X’er to do?
“You start having colonoscopies; you start getting screened for prostate cancer. This is one more thing to add to this list that you really need to be careful about,” said Brian Hill, founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation.
Warning signs of HPV-related head and neck cancer
Symptoms of HPV-related head and neck cancer include voice change, sore throat that won’t go away, earache on one side, and difficult or painful swallowing.
Hill’s story is typical: His doctors first assumed he had an enlarged lymph node due to an infection. Two doctors gave him antibiotics before he was diagnosed with advanced oropharyngeal cancer. His experience led him to create the Oral Cancer Foundation.
Detecting the disease at an early stage saves lives. When diagnosed early, these HPV-related cancers save lives, according to Dr. Carole Fakhry of Johns Hopkins Head & Neck Cancer Center. “If you have a lump in your neck, make sure you get checked out.
“A very common story is, ‘I was shaving and noticed this lump in my neck,'” she said. “And he goes through two or three rounds of antibiotics, and then someone finally thinks cancer. »
Traditionally, head and neck cancers were often related to alcohol or smoking, and these non-HPV cancers tend to be in the front of the mouth and larynx. The incidence of these cancers is decreasing.
“The truth is that smoking-related cancers are on the decline,” Fakhry said. “On the other hand, HPV-related cancers are on the rise. »
HPV-related cancers usually start in the back of the mouth. “Most of these cancers are cancers of the tonsils and the back of the tongue,” she said. “Tonsils are basically these crypts, and tumors grow deep into these crypts, so these tumors can be hard to find. »
Since tumors are often hidden, dentists and dental hygienists become the first line of attack. Men may also be more likely to visit a dentist regularly than a doctor, according to Hill.
“Dental hygienists are becoming the best screening agents for this. They are becoming the spearhead when it comes to screening and anomaly detection,” he said.
Dentists and hygienists are encouraged to look for telltale signs of HPV-related cancer: asymmetrical or swollen tonsils, or a lesion at the back of the throat. But these cancers are notoriously hard to spot and tend to be diagnosed after patients develop a lump in their neck.
“Make sure you get your kids vaccinated (against HPV),” Fakhry said.
Dr. Dan Beachler, lead author of a new study that found additional evidence that the HPV vaccine protects against several types of HPV-related cancers, agrees: “We still don’t know much about the Oral HPV. Primary prevention through vaccination may have the most potential.
Besides the cervix, head, and neck, some strains of HPV can also lead to cancer of the anus, penis, and vulva.
A preventive HPV vaccine is most effective when given to children before they are exposed to HPV. The three-dose series is recommended at 11 or 12 years of age.
Originally recommended only for girls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that boys also be vaccinated. In addition, vaccination is recommended up to age 26 for women and up to age 21 for unvaccinated men.
“Young people don’t avoid oral sex. However, the best thing we can do is to increase the vaccination rate. The second thing we can do is be very aware of the signs and symptoms,” Hill said.
And don’t panic. Although HPV-related cancers are on the rise, they are still rare.
“Even though the rates are rising dramatically, it is still a relatively rare cancer. We don’t want to cause panic. We just want to raise awareness,” Gilson said.
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