HPV-Linked Head and Neck Cancers on the Rise, but HPV Vaccination Rates Are Low

A Gynecology Specialists note: An excellent article on the HPV vaccine by Elizabeth Simpson ran in the Virginian-Pilot in February 2016. Our GYN doctors agree that the HPV vaccine has a proven safety record and we recommend the vaccine for girls starting as young as 9 years old. It is important to note that we are not condoning early sexual activity; we are trying to prevent cervical cancer for women as well as head and neck cancers for their future partners. We also recommend that boys get the vaccine through their pediatricians or family practitioners. Our GYN clinic has administered the HPV vaccine to girls and teens since 2008. If you have any questions, please call our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221.

What the reporting covered

The Virginian-Pilot told the story of a Virginia Beach man who was diagnosed with Stage 4 head and neck cancer linked to HPV, survived after treatment in a clinical trial, and became an advocate for the HPV vaccine — starting by making sure his own four children were vaccinated.

The article reported that HPV-related head and neck cancers were rising dramatically among men in their 40s and 50s, and that a study in JAMA Oncology found head and neck cancer was on pace to overtake cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer within five years. Unlike cervical cancer, which can be caught early with Pap smears, there is no comparable screening to identify HPV-related cancer in men at an early stage — which makes prevention through vaccination even more important.

Despite Virginia being one of the first states to enact an HPV vaccination requirement for sixth-grade girls, the article noted that vaccination rates in the state remained low: only 36 percent of Virginia girls ages 13–17 had completed the full series in 2014, and about 22 percent of boys. Local physicians quoted in the piece — from CHKD, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Virginia Oncology Associates — urged parents to stop seeing the vaccine as a moral issue and start seeing it as what it is: a prevention measure against cancer. The CDC recommends the vaccine for girls and boys starting at age 11 to 12, and it works best when given before someone becomes sexually active.

Please contact our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221 if you have any questions about the HPV vaccine.