Overall incidence of oropharyngeal cancers has fallen in the United States, but the rate of some cancers, primarily those of the tonsil and base of the tongue, has remained stable or risen in some populations. A new report finds that the increase may be partly due to higher incidence in oropharyngeal cancers for which human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause, particularly among men under age 45.

Men are more than three times as likely as women to be diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck than are women. Prognosis is excellent when caught early, but more than one-half of head and neck cancers are diagnosed when in advanced stages. Erick M. Sturgis, M.D., M.P.H., and Paul Cinciripini, Ph.D., of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, suggest the HPV virus may be the cause of the stalled or increased rates in head and neck cancers, since decreased use of tobacco should have led to decreased incidence in these cancers.

In an article published in the Aug. 27, 2007, issue of the journal Cancer, the authors also suggest that a recently approved HPV vaccine may ultimately have a significant impact on the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer.