Neck and Throat Cancers May Have Two Different Causes

While drinking and smoking increase the chances of developing mouth or throat cancers, as does having HPV16, having all three risk factors does not increase exponentially your chances of developing cancer. Rather, smoking and drinking don't increase the chance of developing cancer if you already have HPV16, concludes research conducted by Brown University.

Researchers believe that this study makes a strong case for the idea that there are two distinct causes of throat and neck cancers, which may require different prevention and treatment methods.

"We have a profound bit of evidence that HPV16-associated head and neck cancer is a very different disease," said Karl Kelsey, M.D., leader of the study. "Under a microscope, it looks like the same cancer you get from smoking and drinking. But how you get this form of the disease - and how you would prevent and treat it - is quite different."

Kelsey believes that the results of this study also have public health ramifications. Currently, although an HPV vaccine exists to prevent cervical cancer in women, it is not available to men. However, it is estimated that 50 to 75 percent of men and women are infected with HPV during their lives.

"Our current HPV vaccine recommendations should change," Kelsey said. "Head and neck cancers, regardless of their cause, are predominantly male diseases. If boys and men received the HPV vaccine, a lot of these cancers could be prevented."

It is estimated that half a million people each year are affected by head and neck cancers. It is unknown how many are caused by HPV. However HPV infection was the leading risk factor for throat cancer, far above the risk of smoking and alcohol.

In the study, 485 patients who were diagnosed with head and neck cancer were asked questions about their tobacco and alcohol consumption. They were also tested for the HPV16 antibodies, which indicated that the patient had at some point been infected with HPV.

With head and neck cancers costing an estimated $3.2 million to treat each year, adopting the HPV vaccine for men could significantly reduce health care costs and prevent thousands from developing the cancer each year.

"There is a huge prevention message here, which is that we could protect a lot of people from cancer if men and boys could get the HPV vaccine," Kelsey said. "We should start testing this vaccine on men." Source:

Brown University, "Drinking And Smoking Don't Boost HPV-Related Cancer Risk", Eurekalert