genital warts – Oral Cancer News

First long-term study on HPV claims the vaccine is 100% effective at protecting men from cancer caused by the STI

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: Cheyenne Roundtree The first long-term study conducted into the HPV vaccine confirm it is almost 100 percent effective at protecting men from developing oral cancer. The treatment was approved to the market in 2006 to prevent women from getting cervical cancer but experts haven't been able to fully examine its effect over time. Now, the results are in from a three-year study on the effects - the longest investigation ever on HPV. It confirmed that there was no trace of cancer-linked strains of HPV among men who received the vaccine - whereas two percent of untreated men had a potentially cancerous strain. Another study, also released today, found the jab makes it next to impossible for vaccinated children to develop genital warts from the STI in their late teens and 20s. Despite a multitude of interest and research, these are the first substantial studies to confirm the vaccine's ability to protect people from the STI and diseases that can stem from it. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually-transmitted disease in the US, with approximately 80 million people currently infected. Although most infections disappear on their own, without even displaying symptoms, some strains can lead to genital warts and even cancers, including prostate, throat, head and neck, rectum and cervical cancer. Approximately 28,000 cases of cancer caused by HPV are diagnosed annually - most of which would have preventable with the vaccine, the CDC says. The vaccine was first introduced with the main goal to prevent [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-05-22T07:38:53-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer-Preventing Vaccines Given To Less Than Half Of US Kids

Source: www.houstonpublicmedia.org Author: Carrie Feibel U.S. regulators approved a vaccine to protect against the human papilloma virus (HPV) in 2006, but cancer experts say misconceptions and stigma continue to hamper acceptance by both doctors and parents. Eighty percent of Americans are exposed to the human papilloma virus in their lifetimes. Some strains of HPV can cause genital warts, but most people experience no symptoms and clear the virus from their systems within a year or two. But for an unlucky minority, the virus causes damage that, years later, leads to cervical cancer, throat cancer, and other types. Researchers at MD Anderson are frustrated that ten years after the first vaccine arrived on the market, only 42 percent of U.S. girls, and 28 percent of boys, are getting the three-shot series. The series can be given to girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 26, but the immune response is strongest at younger ages, before sexual activity begins. n 2007, then-Texas governor Rick Perry proposed making the HPV vaccine mandatory for all preteen girls. At the time, the vaccine was only approved and marketed for girls. Dr. Lois Ramondetta, a cervical cancer specialist at MD Anderson, remembers the outcry. “A lot of people felt that was the right idea, but the wrong way to go about it. Nobody really likes being told what to do, especially in Texas,” Ramondetta said. “I think there was a lot of backlash.” Eventually, the legislature rejected Perry’s plan, even though it included an opt-out [...]

Charlotte Parker2016-09-27T11:19:43-07:00September, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

Why men need to start caring about HPV

Source: www.refinery29.com Author: Sarah Jacoby The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of very few STIs that we have a vaccine for. And — bonus! — that vaccine prevents cancer. But a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released last month indicated that although we've made some improvements in the vaccination rates, they still aren't where we want them — especially for boys. This is despite the fact that pretty much everyone who's sexually active will get the virus at some point and men are at risk for their own unique set of HPV-related health consequences. Let's start with the basics: "HPV is a virus that’s sexually transmitted, but it’s incredibly common," explains Kathleen Schmeler, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Up to 80% of people get it at some point in their lives, she says, which is why some doctors refer to it as the "common cold" of STIs. For most people, the virus goes away on its own, without causing symptoms or needing treatment. Some people develop genital warts that can be treated with medication. But in some rare instances, the virus can go on to cause more serious health issues — including some types of cancer. "The problem is we don't know who’s going to clear it and who won’t," Dr. Schmeler says. Most notably, HPV is known to cause cervical cancer. In fact, nearly all cases of cervical cancer are attributed to HPV. In 2013, the most recent [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-09-11T06:23:50-07:00September, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccines: Research on safety, racial disparities in vaccination rates and male participation

Source: journalistsresource.us1.list-manage.com Author: staff Since it became available in the United States in 2006, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been a source of debate, with proponents lauding it as a substantial gain in the fight against cancer, and opponents concerned with its implications for sexual activity among youth. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of Gardasil-9 — a vaccine that protects against nine of the most common strains of HPV that account for approximately 90 percent of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers — there is both a renewed interest and concern that calls for a nuanced and comprehensive review of the science. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with nearly all sexually active men and women believed to contract at least one form of it during their lifetime. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 79 million Americans have HPV, and about 14 million become newly infected annually. While most infections clear the body within two years, some can persist and result in genital warts, cervical cancer or other types of cancers in men and women. Of the many HPV strains that exist, HPV types 16 and 18 have been identified as high risk, accounting for about 70 percent of all cervical cancer, as well as a large proportion of other HPV-related cancers. While cervical cancer was previously a leading cause of death among women in the U.S., death rates declined substantially after [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-01-26T15:17:35-07:00January, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

The Man’s Guide to HPV

Source: Men's HealthBy: Melaina Juntti What men can do about HPV Michael Douglas caught major flak for saying oral sex gave him throat cancer. But if you're laughing, it's time to grow up. Oral cancers caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) have skyrocketed 225 percent in the past 15 years, with men accounting for 75 percent of all cases. The number-one culprit: HPV passed via oral sex. It used to be that cigarettes caused most of these cancers. But since smoking rates have plummeted over the past few decades, and we're having way more oral sex today than even our fathers' generation, HPV has become the most common STD in the U.S. – inevitably leading to more oral cancer cases. It only takes one time going down on someone to contract HPV, and experts estimate that 80 percent of us will be exposed to the virus at some point in our lives. This STD sometimes causes genital warts, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that's not very common. In most cases, HPV has no symptoms. And since no test exists to detect HPV in guys, you won't know you have the virus until years later – if it turns into cancer. "It's very hard to determine when you acquired HPV," says Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University. "It doesn't usually come from just one sexual episode. That said, every once in a while, cancer develops within [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-06-10T11:35:49-07:00June, 2013|OCF In The News|

HPV vaccination—reaping the rewards of the appliance of science

Source: bmj.comDate: April 18, 2013By: Simon Barton, clinical director National programmes could virtually eliminate certain diseases and substantially reduce costs. The optimism generated by scientific breakthroughs often turns to disappointment when applied to the real world of clinical care. It is therefore worth celebrating the extraordinary success of Australia’s national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme, which was implemented five years ago, as reported in the linked paper by Ali and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.f2032).1 This analysis of data on 85 770 new patients from six Australian sexual health clinics shows a remarkable reduction in the proportion of women under 21 years of age presenting with genital warts—from 11.5% in 2007 to 0.85% in 2011 (P<0.001). Only 13 cases of genital warts were diagnosed in women under the age of 21 across all six health clinics in 2011. Such a reduction in this distressing disease caused by a sexually transmitted virus is a major public health achievement. Furthermore, the near eradication of genital warts in young Australian women will probably have a major impact on the costs of sexual healthcare. In 2007, Australia became one of the first countries to implement a nationally funded HPV vaccination programme for girls and young women with the quadrivalent vaccine. It started with the vaccination of girls aged 12 years in schools and a catch-up programme for girls and women aged 13-26 years. Quadrivalent vaccine protects against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause more than 90% of genital warts, in addition to HPV types 16 and 18, which [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-22T12:13:42-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Emergence of HPV 16 and sexually transmiitted oral cancer

Source: communities.washingtontimes.com Author: Dr. Ali by Ali Forghani The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the second leading cause of oral cancer. HPV is certainly not a newcomer to the disease world. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted disease on the planet. As of this writing, over 120 variations of the virus have been discovered, with different strands of HPV affecting different areas of the body. Many people contract HPV daily without realizing they have a virus, as it is very possible to carry a strand while displaying no noticeable symptoms. HPV 16 Virus HPV is a virus that is mainly focused on the outer surface of the body, the skin, as well as the mucus secreting areas. The most noticeable effect from certain strands of the virus is the appearance of warts on the skin, mainly concentrated on the arms, legs and hands. Condylomata acuminatum, also called genital warts, are the strands of this virus found most commonly on individuals and are generally believed to be caused by the HPV strands 6 and 11. These particular strands of HPV are very common and easily treatable. One of the prime reasons HPV is found so commonly in the world is the ease of transmission of the virus. HPV can be spread simply by contact of the skin, with certain strands branching out to be sexually transmitted. These particular strands are the strands that should be of the most concern today due to the discoveries being made [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-01T08:46:21-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Calls for teenage boys to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted virus after throat cancer cases double in UK

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: Charles Walford Boys must be immunised against the most common sexually transmitted virus, health experts have said. The call comes after figures revealed an alarming rise in cancer linked to oral sex in young men. Cases of throat cancer have more than doubled to more than 1,000 a year since the mid-1990s. Previously the figure had been stable for many years. More than 70 per cent of cases are caused by human papilloma virus, compared with less than a third a decade ago. HPV, which can be transmitted during sex and open-mouth kissing, is the main cause of cervical cancer in women, with almost 3,000 women a year in the UK affected. Since 2008 all girls aged 12 to 13 in the UK have been offered a vaccination to protect them from HPV. The decision not to give it to boys too was heavily criticised at the time. Now specialists are urging the Department of Health to review its immunisation programme and offer boys the vaccine too, the Independent reports. They say this would not only ensure both sexes are protected against throat cancer, but it would help reduce the risk of cervical cancer in girls and of other cancers caused by HPV. Research suggests boys are more prone to get throat cancer from oral sex because the virus is found in higher concentrations in the female genital tract. Cancer typically takes 20 to 30 years to develop and the rise in HPV-related throat cancer is being [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-01-21T12:16:38-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Success of HPV vaccination is now a matter of coverage

Source: The Lancet Oncology, Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 10-12, January 2012 In a pair of articles in The Lancet Oncology, Lehtinen and colleagues and Wheeler and colleagues present 4-year end of study data from a trial of a prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/-18 vaccine (Cervarix, GlaxoSmithKline) in young women aged 15-25 years. From a public-health perspective, these studies have several important contributions. The results assure us that among HPV-naive women in the 15—25 year age range, Cervarix has extremely high efficacy against HPV-16/-18-associated persistent infection, CIN2, and CIN3 or worse, the best ethical surrogate endpoint for prospective studies of invasive cervical cancer risk. Combined with other trials of Cervarix and Merck's quadrivalent Gardasil vaccine against HPV-16/-18/-6/-11,3 the evidence is strong for near 100% prophylactic vaccine efficacy in HPV-naive women at any age. Nonetheless, even with vaccine efficacy near 100% in HPV-naive women, the efficacy in the total vaccinated cohort decreased steeply with increasing age, showing an absence of therapeutic effect against already-acquired infections and associated lesions. We know from natural history studies that new HPV transmission (incidence, not prevalence) decreases with age in most cultures.4 Together, natural history data and results of trials for both vaccines suggest that vaccination before sexual debut, or around the time of menarche, will achieve the greatest reduction in cervical cancer rates. The 4-year trial data shows no decline in vaccine efficacy in HPV-naive women with time since vaccination.1 We know from other trials of the two vaccines that the duration of protection is several [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-01-05T16:54:57-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Boys need the cervical cancer jab, too

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk Author: Max Pemberton Few politicians will ever admit they are wrong, so I salute health ministers who have finally capitulated to medical opinion and last month announced a U-turn on the cervical cancer vaccine that is given to 12- and 13-year-old girls. Until now, Cervarix, which protects against two strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that are a factor in at least 70 per cent of diagnoses, has been the NHS vaccine of choice. However, another vaccine, Gardasil, also protects against a further two strains of HPV which cause genital warts, the most common sexually-transmitted infection, requiring costly and unpleasant treatment. As doctors have been arguing for some time, this has important public health implications. The current cost to the NHS of treating the 100,000 new cases of genital warts in England each year is £23 million. In several countries, including Australia, where Gardasil has been used in nationwide vaccination programmes, a 75 per cent decrease in the number of new cases of genital warts in the past three years has been reported. Critics of NHS policy complained that Cervarix was chosen over Gardasil not on the basis of clinical efficacy but because its manufacturers offered it at a discounted price, making it the most cost-effective. Indeed, many doctors have admitted in the medical press that they have bought Gardasil for their daughters privately, while they had to give their patients Cervarix. But ministers have seen sense as now Gardasil will be available on the NHS. But the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-12-05T09:29:57-07:00December, 2011|Oral Cancer News|