Human Papillomavirus

April is Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month—the perfect time to learn more about your risk factors. Unlike a mammogram, a PSA test, or other routine cancer screenings, oral cancer screening is something most people don’t think to ask about at the doctor’s office.

The same screening test that helped cut the number of cervical cancer deaths in half over the past 30 years is now being offered at Roswell Park to protect people at high risk of developing anal cancer.

About 5% of all Pap tests will be abnormal. An abnormal Pap test result does not mean cancer, but it does require follow-up to rule out the possibility of cancer.

The study found that more than 42 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 59 have a type of genital HPV and nearly 23 percent of adults are infected with strains of the virus that carry a higher risk of causing cancer. CDC and Roswell Park recommend getting adolescents and young adults vaccinated.

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, continues to be a preventable cause of many cancer cases across the globe. The most common type of cancer associated with HPV is cervical cancer, but it can also cause anal, vaginal, vulvar, penile and some kinds of throat cancer.