Over 70% of US adults unaware of HPV-related cancer risks - Medical News Today

Over 70% of US adults unaware of HPV-related cancer risks - Medical News Today
Most adults unaware of link between HPV and oral, penile and anal cancers - NBC News
Men Less Knowledgeable About HPV, HPV Vaccination - Physician's Weekly
All you need to know about the HPV virus and vaccine - nation.co.ke

Posted: 19 Sep 2019 03:03 AM PDT

Researchers at the University of Texas have found that generally, both men and women in the United States have a limited awareness of the fact that untreated human papillomavirus (HPV) infections can lead to anal, genital, and oral cancers.

Many people in the U.S. are unaware of the cancer risks associated with HPV.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV — a sexually transmitted infection — "is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get the virus at some point in their lives."

Although HPV may come and go unnoticed, for some people, it could bring more serious consequences.

For example, HPV can lead to cervical cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, and oral cancer, among others.

To prevent the spread of HPV, the CDC recommend that teenagers and young adults ages 11–27 should get vaccinated against the virus.

Despite the fact that HPV can increase a person's risk of developing some types of cancer, a new study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health has found that most adults in the U.S. remain unaware of these possibilities.

"The lack of knowledge may have contributed to low HPV vaccination rates in the U.S.," says lead study author Dr. Ashish Deshmukh.

The research — the findings of which now appear in the journal JAMA Pediatrics — also found that many people eligible for vaccination do not receive recommendations for this inoculation from their doctors.

Experts urge better HPV education

For this study, the researchers looked at information that 2,564 men and 3,697 women provided in their responses to the Health Information National Trend Survey.

As many as two-thirds of the male respondents and one-third of the female respondents ages 18–26 had no knowledge of the fact that HPV could cause cervical cancer.

Also, more than 80% of male and 75% of female respondents in the same age group lacked awareness of the HPV-related risk of oral, anal, and penile cancers. The same was true of around 70% of adult respondents of any age.

"In particular, the lack of HPV knowledge among adults aged 27 to 45 years and 46 years and older is concerning given that adults in these age groups are (or will likely be) the parents responsible for making HPV vaccination decisions for their children," the researchers explain in their study paper.

The team also found that only 19% of the male respondents and 31.5% of the female respondents eligible for an HPV vaccine reported having received recommendations from their doctors to get inoculated.

"HPV vaccination campaigns have focused heavily on cervical cancer prevention in women. Our findings demonstrate a need to educate both sexes regarding HPV and HPV vaccination," notes Dr. Deshmukh.

"Rates of cervical cancer have declined in the [past] 15 to 20 years because of screening. On the other hand, there was a greater than 200% increase in oropharyngeal cancer rates in men and a nearly 150% rise in anal cancer rates in women," he adds.

This, the study authors conclude, is why "educational campaigns that target both sexes and convey the benefits of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention are urgently needed to accelerate HPV vaccine initiation and completion in the [U.S.]."

Most adults unaware of link between HPV and oral, penile and anal cancers - NBC News

Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:33 AM PDT

The majority of American adults are unaware that the most common sexually transmitted disease, HPV, or human papillomavirus, can lead to a variety of cancers, according to research released Monday.

"More than 70 percent don't know that HPV causes anal, penile and oral cancers," said Ashish Deshmukh, author of the new study and assistant professor at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

He called the vast gap in public awareness shocking, and suggested it's one reason why national HPV vaccination rates are so low.

For the study, Deshmukh and his colleagues analyzed National Cancer Institute data of 6,261 men and women who were surveyed about their HPV knowledge in 2017 and 2018. Respondents were between the ages of 18 and 101.

Oct. 18, 201701:46

Two-thirds of women 18 to 26 understood that HPV can cause cervical cancer, compared with just one-third of men of the same age.

But HPV has also been shown to cause oral, anal and penile cancers, a fact lost on 80 percent of men and 75 percent of the women in that same age range in the study, which was published in in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Overall, 70 percent of adults of any age were unaware of the link between HPV and other cancers.

The first HPV vaccine was recommended in 2006 for girls only as a way to prevent cervical cancer. But since then, the science has shown men, too, are at risk for HPV-related cancers, as well as conditions like genital warts. Boys weren't added to the HPV vaccine recommendation schedule until 2011.

"Because of that time lag, there is this historic perception that HPV is a disease among women, that it only causes cervical cancer," Deshmukh told NBC News.

Currently, the CDC recommends that everyone up through age 26 get the HPV vaccine, starting around age 9, long before they may be exposed to the virus, which is transmitted through sexual contact.

Kids need two shots, six months apart; teens and young adults over age 15 need three doses. Unvaccinated people up through age 45 may also get the shots based on personal HPV risks.

Nationally, HPV vaccination rates hover just below 50 percent, with a notable lag in boys' coverage rates.

Just about 44 percent of boys get the vaccine, compared with 53 percent of girls, according to the CDC.

The researchers theorize that if the knowledge gap were to be narrowed, more parents would get their children vaccinated.

The new study showed that more than half of adults between 27 and 45 were unaware of the link between HPV and penile, oral and anal cancers.

"Low levels of HPV knowledge in these older age groups is particularly concerning, given that these individuals are (or will likely be) parents responsible for making HPV vaccination decisions for their children," Kalyani Sonawane, assistant professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health, wrote in a news release.

A study published last week showed another possible benefit to HPV vaccination: herd immunity. Researchers found that when girls and young women are vaccinated, young men who haven't received the shots may be protected against HPV-related cancers.

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Erika Edwards

Erika Edwards is the health and medical news writer/reporter for NBC News and Today.

Men Less Knowledgeable About HPV, HPV Vaccination - Physician's Weekly

Posted: 17 Sep 2019 10:03 AM PDT

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Men are less knowledgeable than women about human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV vaccination, and the correlation between HPV and cancer, according to a research letter published online Sept. 16 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Ryan Suk, from UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston, and colleagues examined national-level estimates of HPV knowledge and receipt of HPV vaccine recommendations among individuals aged 18 to 26 years (vaccine-eligible), 27 to 45 years (vaccine-approved), and 46 years and older (not eligible/approved). Data were included for 2,564 men and 3,697 women.

The researchers found that fewer vaccine-eligible men than women were knowledgeable about HPV (53.6 versus 80.3 percent) and about the HPV vaccine (52.7 versus 79.0 percent). Overall, 60.1 and 31.6 percent of men and women, respectively, did not know that HPV causes cervical cancer; 92.2, 89.0, and 84.7 percent of men, respectively, and 79.4, 77.8, and 77.6 percent of women, respectively, did not know that anal, penile, and oral cancers are caused by HPV. Among HPV vaccine-approved individuals, fewer men than women knew about HPV (67.7 versus 86.4 percent) and HPV vaccination (56.1 versus 81.0 percent); more men than women were not knowledgeable about the correlation between HPV and cancers.

"Effective communication between patients and clinicians regarding the importance of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention is crucial to address this issue," the authors write. "Educational campaigns that target both sexes and convey the benefits of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention are urgently needed to accelerate HPV vaccine initiation and completion in the United States."

One author disclosed financial ties to Merck.

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All you need to know about the HPV virus and vaccine - nation.co.ke

Posted: 18 Sep 2019 10:26 PM PDT

Before the end of September, the government will begin a nationwide campaign to vaccinate young girls aged 10 against the risk of contracting cervical cancer.

The vaccine will be given free of charge at about 9,000 public, private and faith-based health facilities countrywide.

The vaccine will also be given to girls who are not in school but fall in this age group.

What is HPV?

HPV stands for human papillomavirus.

Depending on the strain, HPV is an infection that causes warts in various parts of the body. The virus is usually harmless and goes away by itself, but some types can lead to cancer or genital warts.

SEXUAL CONTACT

There are over 100 varieties of HPV, more than 40 of which are passed through sexual contact and can affect your genitals, mouth, or throat.

According to the World Health Organisation, virtually all cervical cancer cases (99 per cent) are linked to genital infection with HPV and it is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.

It's important to note that while some cases of genital HPV infection may not cause any health problems, other types of HPV can lead to cancers of the cervix, anus, and throat.

How can you get HPV?

HPV is recognised to be the most frequently acquired sexually transmitted viral infection worldwide.

Most people get a genital HPV infection through direct sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. You don't have to engage in intercourse to contract HPV. This is because the virus can be passed through a skin-to-skin infection.

Genital HPV infections are very common. According to the WHO, The peak time for acquiring infection for both women and men is shortly after becoming sexually active.

Does it have symptoms?

While symptoms may include warts on the genitals or surrounding skin, many people don't develop any symptoms but can still infect.

Most people with HPV have no symptoms and feel totally fine, so they usually don't even know they're infected.

According to Planned Parenthood, most genital HPV infections aren't harmful at all and go away on their own.

CANCER
It's also possible to have multiple types of HPV. Some kinds of HPV can lead to genital warts or certain types of cancer.

• Two types of HPV (types 6 and 11) cause most cases of genital warts. These two cause more than 90 percent of genital warts in men and women. But they are considered low-risk HPV because they don't lead to cancer or other serious health problems.

• At least a dozen types of HPV can sometimes lead to cancer, though two in particular (types 16 and 18) lead to the majority of cancer cases.

• Cervical cancer is most commonly linked to HPV, but HPV can also cause cancer in your vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth, and throat.

Does HPV affect only women?

Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person.

Much of the information about HPV virus (human papillomavirus) centers on women, since having the virus increases their risk of getting cervical cancer.

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