New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the number of cancer diagnoses associated with the human papillomavirus are increasing.
Between 2008 and 2012, an average of 38,793 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed annually, according to the report published Tuesday. It was based on an analysis of data from the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. The number is up from 33,369 cases between 2004 and 2008. To compare on a broader scale, this means a change from 10.8 diagnoses per 100,000 people between 2004 and 2008 to 11.7 per 100,000 between 2008 and 2012.
HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses,. and while some lead to non-cancerous warts, others could cause cancer, particularly cervical cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection.
The researchers noted two limitations to the study. For one thing, the HPV-attributable cancer numbers are estimates, since cancer registries don’t regularly gather data on HPV DNA status in cancer tissue. And second, there’s room for error in race and ethnicity data, since the information is taken from medical records.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices encourages routine HPV vaccination for females ages 11 to 12 through age 26, and for males through age 21.
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HPV-Associated Cancers Diagnoses Increasing originally appeared on usnews.com
