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HPV-Related Cancer

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Title: HPV-Related Cancer On The Rise Among Men
Category: News & Opinion
Tags: HPV virus, oral cancer, oral HPV, HPV infections, oropharyngeal cancer, throat cancer
Teaser: Nearly two-million men in the U.S. are vulnerable to a silent cancer.
Article:
Human papilloma virus, or HPV, is a sexually transmitted infection, and the more sex partners someone has, the bigger their risk. Now, a study out this week shows there’s a silent epidemic of HPV-related cancers among men. In fact, the study found that men are more likely to be infected with cancer-causing oral HPV strains than women, suggesting there are more throat cancers in men than cervical cancer in women.
Men are more likely to be infected with cancer-causing oral HPV strains
HPV …show more content…

Oropharyngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the oropharynx. The oropharynx is the middle part of the throat, behind the mouth. If you’re male and between the ages of 50 to 69 years old — which according to the study, is the age group with the highest prevalence of oral HPV — here’s what you need to know about oropharyngeal cancer:
• Being infected with genital HPV can increase the risk of oropharyngeal cancer.
• Smoking can also increase your risk of oropharyngeal cancer.
• Smoking marijuana increases the risk of oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women.
• Signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer include a lump in the neck and a sore throat.
• High-risk oral HPV infection was greatest among black participants in the study
• Infection was also greatest among those who reported 16 or more lifetime vaginal or oral sex partners.
• Tests that examine the mouth and throat are used to help detect, diagnose, and stage oropharyngeal cancer.
Throat cancers in men more common than cervical cancer in women
HPV is the single biggest cause of cervical cancer and oropharyngeal cancers, according to the CDC. Between 2008 and 2012, almost 39,000 U.S. citizens were diagnosed with HPV-related cancer every year. Fifty-nine percent of them women and 41 percent men, researchers report. But while Pap smears and HPV tests have reduced rates of cervical cancer in woman, rates of oral cancer are growing in men.
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