HPV-related cancer rates rising

Cancers linked to the human papillomavirus have increased significantly over the last 15 years in the United States, with throat cancer now the most common HPV-related malignancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

More than 43,000 people developed HPV-associated cancer in 2015, compared with about 30,000 in 1999, the CDC said.

At the same time, the CDC said, HPV vaccination rates are rising — a trend that could eventually curb the increase in cancer cases. But the vaccine rate is not rising fast enough, experts say. Nearly half of adolescents ages 13 to 17 in 2017 had received all the recommended doses for HPV vaccination, while two-thirds had received the first dose. For both groups, that was a five-percentage-point increase from the previous year.

“We are moving in the right direction, but given the fact that we have a safe and effective vaccine, there’s little reason why parents and providers aren’t vaccinating every single child,” said Ronald DePinho, a former president of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

“To not take advantage of a vaccine that can prevent cancers is a lost opportunity and a tragic one,” he added.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, with almost 80 million Americans infected with the virus. In the vast majority of cases, the body’s immune system clears out the infection. But in some cases, certain strains of HPV persist and can cause cervical cancer, as well as some throat, vaginal, penile and anal cancers.

The agency said the inoculations could prevent 90 percent of HPV-caused cancer cases — those that can be directly attributed to HPV — every year. Since the vaccine’s introduction a decade ago, HPV infections and cervical precancers have fallen significantly.