HPV (human papillomavirus) is responsible for more and more vocal cord cancers, which now appear in non-smokers under 30 years old.
More and more young adults are suffering from vocal cord cancer due to HPV. Researchers Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found this infection in almost all patients under 30 they analyzed in a study, and most were non-smokers.
“In recent years, this cancer has been almost exclusively associated with smoking and almost entirely seen in patients over 40,” says Steven Zeitels, director of laryngeal surgery at MGH, and author of the report. . “Today, non-smokers represent almost 50% of patients with vocal cord cancer, and it is common for it to be diagnosed before the age of 40. This epidemiological development is a health concern important public, because of the diagnostic confusion it can create”, she analyzes.
Increase in vocal cord cancer in non-smokers
In total, the medical records of 353 people were scrutinized. None of the 112 patients in the cohort treated between 1990 and 2004 was 30 years old or younger. But 11 of the 241 patients treated from 2004 to 2018 were aged 30 or younger, and only 3 of the 11 were smokers. Analysis of tissue samples taken from the tumors of 10 of the 11 young patients revealed HPV strains in each of them.
“Large-scale studies are now needed to determine the rate of increase in vocal cord cancer among non-smokers,” the researchers conclude. The increase in the number of vocal cord cancer cases follows the earlier increase in the number of throat cancer cases, which has also been associated with HPV.
Unfounded rumors about HPV vaccines
Generally transmitted during sexual intercourse, with or without penetration, and more particularly during the first years of sexual life, human papillomaviruses are the viruses at the origin of most cancers of the cervix, as well as as cancers of the vagina, vulva, anus and ENT cancers. Vaccination against HPV is strongly recommended for young girls aged 9 to 14 (two doses of vaccine) before they begin their sexual life, or as a catch-up up to and including 19 years of age (three doses), as well as for men under 26 who have sex with other men.
Although many specialists even agree on the necessary extension of vaccination to all girls and boys from the age of 9, they have to deal with growing mistrust from public opinion, which is causing a too low vaccination coverage. According to the Haute Autorité de santé, less than 20% of the target population is currently vaccinated against HPV, whereas the 2014-2019 Cancer Plan had set a target of 60%. “Unfounded rumors about HPV vaccines continue to delay or unnecessarily hinder the intensification of vaccination,” the WHO has just recalled.
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