Health Market Science

A study recently presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium found oral human papillomavirus infection is more common among men than women, which explains why men are more prone than women to develop HPV-related head and neck cancer.

In 2007, a correlation was made between HPV and oral cancer, and researchers are trying to understand how best to detect or prevent these cancers. The incidence rate of HPV-related cancers is higher in men than women, and some patients with oral HPV type 16 have a 14 times greater risk of developing a head or neck cancer as a result - typically found in the tonsils or back of the tongue.

To better understand the prevalence of oral HPV in the United States and what factors are associated with the infection, researchers collected data from 5,579 men and women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2009 and 2010. The researchers found 7 percent of the U.S. population between 14 and 69 have an oral HPV infection. These infections are three times more common in men than women, at 10.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively.

"This study of oral HPV infection is the critical first step toward developing potential oropharyngeal cancer prevention strategies," said Maura Gillison, lead author of the study and the Jeg Coughlin Chair of Cancer Research at The Ohio State University. "This is clearly important because HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is poised to overtake cervical cancer as the leading type of HPV-caused cancers in the U.S. And, we currently do not have another means by which to prevent or detect these cancers early."

In addition, the researchers found oral HPV infection was less common in people who had no history of sexual contact, while people who had the most sexual partners tended to have the highest risk of oral HPV infection.

Last October, a federal advisory panel recommended that the HPV vaccine that is typically given to young women be given to boys starting at age 11 or 12 to help lower the prevalence in the United States. However, since the recommendation was made, a very small percentage of boys across the country have received the necessary three doses of the vaccine, Web MD reported.

In an interview with the source, Hans Schlecht, MD, said the vaccines have been shown to be highly effective at preventing HPV infection, specifically orally. Both HPV vaccines on the market target the common HPV 16 type and have shown positive results.