{"id":25446,"date":"2025-03-04T08:59:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T07:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/?p=25446"},"modified":"2025-03-04T08:59:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T07:59:16","slug":"new-advances-in-the-prevention-of-oral-human-papillomavirus-and-pharyngeal-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/2025\/03\/new-advances-in-the-prevention-of-oral-human-papillomavirus-and-pharyngeal-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"New advances in the prevention of oral human papillomavirus and pharyngeal cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head and neck cancers are the sixth most common type of cancer globally and include tumours that affect the oral cavity and pharynx. The main risk factors are alcohol and tobacco, but the human papillomavirus (HPV) has recently been detected as a tumour cause in the case of oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma. Oral infection by HPV causes <\/span>a considerable proportion of pharyngeal cancer cases in Europe and the United States,<\/span><\/b> 80%, but less than 10% in certain regions of the world, a figure that depends on the different sexual habits and tobacco and alcohol consumption of the population.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The incidence of pharyngeal cancer is increasing year after year <\/span><\/b>and it is estimated to reach 1 million new cases per year by 2030. There are still very few quality epidemiological studies that correctly assess the oral prevalence of HPV and the factors associated with the transmission of the virus, which are essential for developing prevention measures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard, the journal <\/span>eClinicalMedicine<\/span><\/i> has just published the PROGRESS study results, the first to robustly describe the prevalence of oral HPV infection and associated factors in Europe and the United States. This study has carried out <\/span>high-sensitivity oral HPV detection tests\u00a0<\/span><\/b> and has obtained <\/span>health and sociodemographic data<\/span><\/b> from <\/span>7674 participants<\/span><\/b> from five countries thanks to the international collaboration between the infections and cancer research group from IDIBELL and the Catalan Institute of Oncology, research and health centers in the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom and the pharmaceutical company Merck.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Associated factors: sex, age, number of sexual partners and smoking<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In total, the prevalence of oral HPV was 7.4% of the analyzed samples, 2% in the case of high-risk strains. In all the countries in the study, <\/span>the prevalence of high-risk HPV is 2 to 4 times higher in men than in women<\/span><\/b>. These results are consistent with the higher frequency of oropharyngeal cancer in men than in women. As associated factors with the infection, apart from <\/span>sex<\/span><\/b>, scientists have identified<\/span> age, marijuana use, number of sexual partners, oral health <\/span><\/b>and having recently had a<\/span> sexually transmitted infection<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the <\/span>country <\/span><\/b>level, more cases of oral HPV have been detected in <\/span>France<\/span><\/b>, where more bisexual, smoking and gingivitis practices are also reported, and in the <\/span>United Kingdom<\/span><\/b>, where participants have a higher number of sexual partners and cases of periodontitis. Another factor associated with oral HPV infection is <\/span>smoking marijuana<\/span><\/b>, probably because this substance deteriorates the immune system. As seen in previous studies, the <\/span>number of female sexual partners<\/span><\/b> with whom oral sex has also been found to be a risk factor for high-risk HPV transmission, but only in men, not women. It is hoped that the reasons for these differences can be explained in the next epidemiological studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Age <\/span><\/b>is also a key factor in HPV infection: its frequency increases in older age groups, specifically from the age of 40, “probably because as time progresses,<\/span> exposure to the virus and the persistence of the infection increase, latent infections can be reactivated<\/span><\/b> and\/or <\/span>the immune system\u2019s activity decreases<\/span><\/b>“, explains <\/span>Dr. Laia Alemany<\/span><\/b>, co-coordinator of the cancer epidemiology research program at IDIBELL and ICO and first author of the study.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The importance of prevention<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the persistence of the human papillomavirus in the pharynx epithelial tissue that can end up causing the appearance of a tumour, just as it happens in the cervix, vulva, anus and penis. The probability of this happening is higher in the case of high-risk HPVs compared to low-risk ones. Therefore, the main way to prevent this cancer is the primary prevention of HPV infection <\/span>through vaccination and the reduction of alcohol and tobacco consumption<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We have very little information about oropharyngeal cancer compared to cervical cancer, and right now <\/span>there is no routine screening<\/span><\/b>,” says Dr. Alemany, insisting that “this is why <\/span>it is necessary to prepare programs and policies to prevent this infection <\/span><\/b>in the long term.” The PROGRESS study has represented an important step in this direction, and the same team is currently working on a larger project to continue describing the epidemiology of the virus, which will bring us closer to the prevention and eradication of HPV infection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a biomedical research center created in 2004. It is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.<\/em><\/p>\n

IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the “HR Excellence in Research” program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Catalan Institute of Oncology is a public company created in 1995 by the Department of Health that began to operate in the facilities of the Duran i Reynals Hospital in L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat. In 2002, the ICO Girona was inaugurated, in the Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital, and the following year the ICO Badalona, \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bin the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital. In 2014, the ICO Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre was launched in the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona and in the Virgen de la Cinta in Tortosa.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, it works together with twenty other hospitals. The objective of this networking is to take the specialist to where the patient is and guarantee equity in healthcare services.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first robust epidemiological study on the prevalence of oral HPV infection and associated factors in Europe and the USA has been published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,261,185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-epidemiology-public-health-cancer-prevention-and-palliative-care-program","category-infections-and-cancer"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2025-03-16 06:01:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25446"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25449,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25446\/revisions\/25449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}