spring 2014 | cancer fighters thrive 41
cf thrive. com
Indeed, the median survival is nearly
11 years in HPV-related tumors com-
pared with 1.6 years in tumors that don't
carry the virus.
3
Of course, that begs the question of
whether treatment can be scaled back
in this group. Because these patients are
diagnosed at a younger age, that means
some may face decades of long-term
side effects such as dry mouth or diff-
culty swallowing. Scaling back treatment
could help reduce the impact of those
side effects.
"Right now, if we are going to recom-
mend chemoradiation as a concurrent ap-
proach for oropharyngeal cancer, we will
not change the dose or treatment. We will
use the same course of treatment that we
do for the heavy drinker/smoker group,"
explains Dr. Chong. "Research is looking
at whether we can drop doses in HPV-
related cancer precisely because it responds
so well—but we're not quite there yet."
Public Health Concern
As the rate of HPV-related head and neck
cancer continues to climb, doctors and
researchers are predicting an epidemic.
Dr. Chong stresses that this is a public
health dilemma. "It's important to make
the diagnosis early and get proper treat-
ment," he says. "It's also important to
administer proper vaccination when ap-
propriate."
For now the problem does not seem
to be going away—but researchers hope
that as more and more parents comply
with vaccination recommendations (see
sidebar), they will see a decline in HPV-
related cancers in the future.
References
1. Genital HPV Infection: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm.
2. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Oropharyngeal
Cancer: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/
STDFact-HPVandOralCancer.htm.
3. Chaturvedi, A.K., Engels, E.A., Pfeiffer, R.M. et al.
Human papillomavirus and rising oropharyngeal cancer
incidence in the United States. Journal of Clinical Oncolo-
gy. 2011;29(32):4294-301. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2011.36.4596.
4. Recommendations on the Use of Quadrivalent Human
Papillomavirus Vaccine in Males: Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2011. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
mm6050a3.htm.
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