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Single Men, Smokers at Higher Risk for Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection, Moffitt Cancer Center Study Shows

TAMPA, FL, USA (July 2, 2013) – Smokers and single men are more likely to acquire cancer-causing oral human papillomavirus (HPV), according to new results from the HPV Infection in Men (HIM) Study. Researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute, Mexico and Brazil also report that newly acquired oral HPV infections in healthy men are rare and when present, usually resolve within one year. The study results appeared in the July issue of The Lancet.

HPV infection is known to cause virtually all cervical cancers, most anal cancers and some genital cancers. It has recently been established as a cause of the majority of oropharyngeal cancers, a malignancy of the tonsils and base of tongue.

“Some types of HPV, such as HPV16, are known to cause cancer at multiple places in the body, including the oral cavity,” said study lead author Christine M. Pierce Campbell, Ph.D., M.P.H., a postdoctoral fellow in Moffitt’s Center for Infection Research in Cancer. “We know that HPV infection is associated with oropharyngeal cancer, but we don’t know how the virus progresses from initial infection to cancer in the oral cavity. One aspect of the HIM Study is to gather data to help us understand the natural history of these infections.”

“Additional HPV natural history studies are needed to better inform the development of infection-related prevention efforts,” said Anna R. Giuliano, Ph.D., director of Moffitt’s Center for Infection Research in Cancer. “HPV16 is associated with the rapid increase in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer, most noticeably in the United States, Sweden and Australia, where it is responsible for more than 50 percent of cases. Unfortunately, there are no proven methods to prevent or detect these cancers at an early stage.”

Funding for the study was provided by National Cancer Institute grants (CA R01CA098803, R25T CA147832) and the National Cancer Institute Intramural Research Program.

About Moffitt Cancer Center

Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.

Media release by Florida Science Communications  

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 02.07.201 (tB).