Cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the rise, a new research shows.
Researchers at the University of Calgary found that HPV cancers related to anal and throat cancers have increased and the most common victims are those aged around 40 or so.
"The increases in the incidence of oropharyngeal [throat] cancer among younger men and of anal cancer among younger women are disturbing, because there are no screening programs for early detection of these cancers," study co-author Dr. Lorraine Shack, an assistant professor of oncology at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine said in a press release.
Researchers said that HPV is linked to an estimated 5.2 percent of all cancers throughout the world. For the study, the team analysed data gathered from the Alberta Cancer Registry and looked at the trends of HPV-associated cancers diagnosed from 1975 to 2009. They noted a total of 8,120 cases with 56 percent being cervical cancers and 18 percent being oropharyngeal cancers.
The study analysis showed that a number of the cancer cases were observed in people aged between 55 and 74. But, the team found that highest increase in oropharyngeal cancers was seen in men under the age of 45. There was an increase in the rate of anal cancer. Anal cancer linked to HPV increased from 0.7 to 1.5 per 100,000 women.
"To have a large impact on the prevention of these HPV-associated cancers, vaccination programs should be considered for males as well as females, as has now been done in Alberta," said Dr. Harold Lau, a clinical associate professor of oncology at the University of Calgary and co-author of the study. "Both oropharyngeal and anal cancers are associated with substantial side effects when treated; therefore, education and prevention programs, including the HPV vaccination program, are urgently required."
The study was published in CMAJ Open.
