Oral HPV significantly increases chance of head, neck cancer

For the participants who were found to have HPV 16, the risk of developing neck and head cancer increased 22 times.

A new study has found that oral human papilloma virus (HPV) infection increases risk for developing head or neck cancer.

HPV-16 is known to be a primary cause of cervical cancer. This new study adds to earlier ones, as it associates HPV-16, a type of oral HPV, with heightened risk of head or neck cancer for men and women alike.

It was revealed in the trial that 132 people had developed head or neck cancer. All the volunteers did not have cancer at the start of the experiment. A total of 396 participants were selected as controls. The people were followed up on for an average 3.9 years after they submitted their samples.

Those with traces of HPV-16 in their mouthwash samples were found to be 22 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer.

Another interesting finding of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine team was the under-researched link between beta HPVs and gamma HPVs and cancer incidence.

The study demonstrated that using mouthwash samples to check for oral HPV can help healthcare providers determine if a patient is at a greater risk for head and neck cancers.

The group of viruses affect your skin and moist membranes which line the body, including the anus, cervix and mouth and throat.

In more cases than not, people usually view throat cancer as a disease that affects heavy smokers as well as drinkers in the later stage of life.

“It has been established beyond reasonable doubt that the HPV type 16 is the causative agent in oropharyngeal cancer”, Kumar said.

Results showed that HPV-16 detection in the oral cavity was associated with incident HNSCC (OR, 7.1; 95% CI: 2.2-22.6) and a positive association for oropharyngeal SCC (OR, 22.4: 95% CI, 1.8-276.7).

It’s not that HPV directly causes oropharyngeal cancer, the 11th most common cancer in the world, but it changes the cells that it infects and then that can cause them to become cancerous.

Oral tumours have been on the increase for about thirty years.

In most of us, our immune system fights it off and it does not do any harm. It is one of the fastest rising cancers in the United Kingdom, now affecting around 5,000 people each year.

Genital HPV infections are common and highly contagious.

The virus can be spread via skin contact.

Women aged 25-64 are offered cervical screening to check for abnormal cells in the cervix.

Mouthwash samples were analysed for the presence of several types of oral HPVs in both groups.