Doctors say an increasing number of men are being affected by HPV-related throat cancer. The number of men dealing with this rare form of cancer is climbing quickly, causing concern in the medical world.
What is HPV
HPV infection is a common STD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75 to 80 percent of females and males in the United States will be infected at some point in their lives. While most people will battle the infection with no side effects, some people deal with cellular changes that cause warts or cancer. This can include cervical, and vaginal cancers in women and head and throat cancer in men.
Doctors believe the throat cancer is caused by an increase in unprotected oral sex.
“I think it’s safe to say that we are on the cusp here of a pandemic. An epidemic that’s about to begin,” Dr. Eric Genden, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York told ABC News.
Cases climbing quickly
According to ABC News, in 2004 there were nearly 4,000 to 4,500 cases of HPV-related oropharynx cancer in men and women. The number of cases is expected to double to 8,500 by 2020, with the increase occurring primarily in men.
And it’s not just throat cancers that have doctors concerned.
“We’re finding that HPV appears to be linked to a number of squamous cell carcinomas of the head, neck and throat,” Dr. William Mendenhall, a radiation oncologist from the University of Florida in Gainesville who didn’t participate in the analysis, told Fox News.
The cancer is about 85-90 percent treatable, if it’s caught early. Plus, there is a vaccine, Gardasil, that is suggested for both boys and girls to protect against HPV. While doctors are unsure if the vaccine will protect against this specific HPV-related throat cancer, most say the vaccine should be a first line of defense until more answers are found.
