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Oropharyngeal cancer, which affects
the throat, including the tonsils and base of the tongue, is usually caused by
smoking and alcohol use; however, HPV recently has emerged as a major cause of
this type of cancer. Dr. Anthony Nichols of Lawson Health Research Institute,
Dr. David Palma of Lawson Health Research Institute and Ontario Institute for
Cancer Research, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to determine
the impact of HPV-related tonsillar cancer in Canada.
The researchers searched the London
Health Sciences Centre pathology database for information on patients diagnosed
with tonsillar cancer in three time periods: 1993 to 1999, 2000 to 2005, and
2006 to 2011. They reviewed patients’ charts for information on diagnosis,
treatment, and follow-up, and analyzed biopsy samples to discover whether the
patients had HPV in their DNA.
The researchers analyzed 160 patient
records and found 57 percent of cases had HPV in the DNA, particularly in cases
involving young nonsmokers. The incidence of the cancer increased significantly
throughout the selected time periods. Treatment included radiation and a
mixture of chemotherapy and radiation. Survival rates improved and
recurrence-free survival increased from 53 to 82 percent. Five-year survival
rates increased from 37 to 83 percent.
Nichols commented that the data
indicated this disease would result in a major impact on the Canadian health
system in the future and suggested a focus on prevention strategies, including
vaccinations and developing better treatments with fewer side effects to
preserve patient quality of life.
The full report, “The Epidemic of
Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population,” was
published in the journal Current Oncology (2013; 20 (4):212–219).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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