Significant Rise in HPV-Related Throat Cancer in Men

Philip and Joanne Keane, of Newtown, Conn., never thought twice about having their daughters immunized against strains of the human papillomavirus that could cause cervical cancer.

“I thought it [HPV] was a women-only disease, a virus only they should worry about,” said Philip Keane. But when Keane, 52, was diagnosed with stage 4 HPV-related throat cancer, the Keane’s decided their 12-year-old son should be vaccinated too.

“You don’t want them waking up in 20 or 30 years and finding out they have stage 4 throat cancer. That’s where I am now,” said Keane.

HPV appears to be linked to a rare but treatable form of throat cancer in men that’s on an uptick. If the trend continues, the annual occurrence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer among men will surpass that of cervical cancer among women by the year 2020, according to a study that will be presented this week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual scientific meeting.

According to researchers, in 2004 there were nearly 4,000 to 4,500 cases of HPV-related oropharynx cancer in men and women. The number of cases is expected to double to 8,500 by 2020, with the increase occurring primarily in men.