Western countries are facing a sharp rise in throat cancer in the last two decades, which especially consists of oropharyngeal cancer. The human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus leading to cervical cancer, is the main cause behind the increasing throat cancer cases. Many countries, including the US and UK, have begun the implementation of HPV vaccines to limit the spread of cervical cancer in young girls. Thankfully, a recent study indicates that HPV vaccination can also be effective in preventing oral HPV infection leading to throat cancer.
Oropharyngeal cancer is more prevalent in the US and UK than ever before. The major reasons behind this uptrend consist of having multiple sexual partners, and a significant rise in oral sex. A recent study finds out that oral sex is becoming a common part of sexual intercourse in many countries. Approximately 80% of British adults have done oral sex at least once. Nevertheless, a minimal portion of them suffer from oropharyngeal cancer.
Some experts believe that a large portion of the population gets HPV infections but can fully recover from them. Even though, a small percentage of people develop the infection due to poor immunity systems. In such individuals, the virus reproduces itself rapidly and eventually integrates into the host’s DNA, leading to the development of cancerous cells.
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Many nations have implemented HPV vaccination campaigns for young girls to prevent cervical cancer. Additionally, they anticipate the vaccination to be effective in reducing the increasing cases of throat cancer. Nations having high vaccination rates among females stand a chance to develop herd immunity among boys. Nevertheless, global vaccination programs are still not able to cover a large number of the population as some communities have hesitations in getting themselves vaccinated against HPV citing safety and promiscuity.
An all-gender inclusive vaccination program that the countries like US and UK are implementing has released guidelines to include young boys. However, hesitancy persists among the masses. The Covid-19 pandemic added to the low rates of vaccination as it brought difficulties to communicate with students at schools and colleges.
HPV is mostly responsible for the growth of oropharyngeal cancer in the West, and HPV vaccination programs for both boys and girls could help lower the incidence of this cancer in the future. But for these programs to be successful, vaccine coverage must be high and widespread, and overcoming vaccine hesitancy is essential. Nothing is straightforward when dealing with communities and behavior, but communication and ongoing education initiatives could help in overcoming these difficulties.
