Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) joined 68 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated centers today urging for increased human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in both girls and boys for the prevention of cancer.
Each year in the United States, 14 million new HPV infections occur, and 27,000 men and women are diagnosed with HPV-related cancers, including cervical, anal, oropharyngeal (middle throat) and other genital cancers. That amounts to a new cancer case every 20 minutes.
Even though many of these HPV-related cancers are preventable with the vaccine, rates across the country remain low. Today, only 40 percent of girls and just over 21 percent of boys receive the recommended three doses.
In response to these alarmingly low rates, the ACC and other cancer centers have come together to urge parents, young adults and physicians to act. “HPV vaccination is our best defense in stopping HPV infection in our youth and preventing HPV-related cancers in our communities,” the statement from the cancer centers read. “The HPV vaccine is cancer prevention.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that boys and girls receive three doses of HPV vaccine at ages 11 or 12 years. The HPV vaccine series can be started in preteens as early as age 9 and should be completed before the 13th birthday. The HPV vaccine is more effective the earlier it is given; however, it is also recommended for young women until age 26 and young men until age 21.
HPV is most widely known for causing cervical cancer, but it is now becoming a leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer – a head and neck cancer primarily affecting the tongue base and the tonsil. There has been a recent rise in cases of oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. And rates of HPV-related head and neck cancers are dramatically rising for men aged 40 to 50, as well as a rise of HPV-related cancers of the anus in men.
“Not only is HPV associated with invasive cancer, but it also accounts for thousands of abnormal Pap tests and pre-invasive lesions, that require evaluation and often treatment. This can lead to invasive procedures that can cause physical and emotional distress,” said Mark Morgan, MD, chief of Gynecology/Oncology at the ACC.
The call to action comes at a time when President Obama’s State of the Union announced a national “moonshot” to cure cancer, a collaborative effort led by Vice President Biden, which kicked off at the ACC a few weeks ago. Much of the research and efforts discussed that day focused on the importance of preventative efforts. A week later, at an American Association for Cancer Research and Philadelphia Inquirer event, "Cancer Precision Medicine, Big Ideas in Research, Treatment and Prevention," expert panelists, including Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, director of the ACC, agreed on the importance of the HPV vaccine to stop the virus.
“HPV vaccination represents a rare opportunity to prevent many cases of cancer that is tragically underused. As national leaders in cancer research and clinical care, we are compelled to jointly issue this call to action,” the cancer centers wrote.
click here to read the full statement