Anal and Throat Cancer Common among Men and Women Younger than 45: Study

The incidence of throat and anal cancers has gone up among men and women aged below 45, a new study finds.

In recent times, countries like the U.S. and Canada have noted a massive downfall in the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. But, survey reports by Canadian scientists reveal a drastic upshot in the cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV). Their findings suggest oropharyngeal or throat cancer and anal cancer cases surged in the last three decades particularly in young men and women. The experts found 8,120 cases of cancers caused by HPV between 1975 and 2009 by analyzing records from the Alberta Cancer Registry, reports the Health Day News.

Nearly 56 and 18 percent of the overall cancer cases were cervical cancer and cancers of the mouth or throat, respectively. Majority of patients with oropharyngeal were mostly men aged below 45. In women, the prevalence of anal cancer saw a two-fold increase in the same period from 0.7 to 1.5 per 100,000 people.

A latest survey data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says many American teens miss getting their HPV shots and are at risk of developing cancers associated with the sexually transmitted virus. Health officials urge parents to ensure children are vaccinated at prepubescent age to avert the dangers of virus transmission when they become sexually active. According to the study reports, HPV related cancers account for 5.2 percent of the entire world population.

The current study emphasizes the need for effective strategies, vaccination and awareness programs to prevent diseases caused by HPV virus.

"To have a large impact on the prevention of these HPV-associated cancers, vaccination programs should be considered for males as well as females, as has now been done in Alberta," said Harold Lau, co-author and clinical associate professor of oncology at the University of Calgary, reports the Health Day New.

"Both oropharyngeal and anal cancers are associated with substantial side effects when treated; therefore, education and prevention programs, including the HPV vaccination program, are urgently required," he adds.

More information is available online in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.