Sexually Transmitted Disease May Lead to Head and Neck Cancers

Over half of head an neck cancers may be due to HPV 16, a specific strain of the human papilloma virus. This sexually transmitted disease is one of the most common in the U.S., with approximately 70 per cent of men and women to become infected.

According to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), located in Buffalo, NY, 50-60 per cent of its treated head and neck cancers test positive for HPV 16. Other cancers, such as cervical, vulva, vagina, anus, penis and perineum, are already known to arise from HPV 16 and 18. There are over 100 types of HPV, according to the CDC, with no known cure. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, with HPV 16 easily transmitted with any skin-to-skin contact involving the mouth, vagina, vulva, penis, anus or fingers. Those who become infected will not have symptoms and will rid the infection on their own; some individuals, however, can harbor the virus for decades without knowing it.

[The cancers linked to HPV 16 are found at the base] of the tongue, in the tonsils, and in the soft palate at the back of the throat. --Thom Loree, MD, Chair of Head & Neck Surgery Department.

The number of treated throat cancers has risen 300 per cent over the past 10 years, according to RPCI. Although there is no cure, there is a vaccine. For females (9-26 years of age), FDA-approved Gardasil protects against HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18. The vaccine may be approved for males.