Head, neck cancers linked to human papillomavirus

Study finds 93 percent of HPV-caused cancers preventable with vaccine

HOUSTON – About 15,000 Americans are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year.

Men are four times as likely as women to develop this kind of cancer, and the vast majority of the cases are caused by a sexually transmitted disease.

Steve Wilson, a medical pathologist, spends his days identifying dangerous diseases.

"I have a heightened sense of awareness of cancer and maybe, to some extent, fear of cancer," Wilson said.

Wilson was on vacation in the Caribbean in December 2015 when he felt a lump on his neck. The lump was cancer.

"It was what I was expecting and what I was afraid of," Wilson said.

Head, neck and throat specialist Dr. Umamaheswar Duvvuri said at one time, oral cancer was linked primarily to smoking. But head and neck cancers are now more often caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV.

"The reality is there is no treatment for the viral infection itself, which is why we need to vaccinate people to prevent them from getting the virus to begin with," Duvvuri said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends boys and girls receive two doses of an HPV vaccine before they become sexually active. A new study found 93 percent of all HPV-caused cancers were preventable with the vaccine. Still, only 40 percent of all teen girls and 22 percent of the boys have been vaccinated.

"I think nationwide we should have this mandated," Duvvuri said. "I believe this vaccine is efficacious and safe."

Wilson said he wishes the HPV vaccine had been an option years ago.

"All of us who are 40 and above, we're all at risk for this, and we don't know if we're going to have it or not have it," Wilson said.

Radiation and chemotherapy knocked down Wilson's cancer. Now he's back helping detect disease in others.

Many parents have questions about the vaccines. You can find answers to common questions here.

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