What is the most common site for HPV negative oral cancer?
HPV can infect the mouth and throat and cause cancers of the oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils). This is called oropharyngeal cancer. HPV is thought to cause 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.
What are the causes of oropharyngeal cancer?
The most common risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer include the following:
- A history of smoking cigarettes for more than 10 pack years and other tobacco use.
- Heavy alcohol use.
- Being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV type 16.
- Personal history of head and neck cancer.
Is oropharyngeal cancer contagious?
You likely think of cervical cancer when you hear about the rising incidence of human papilloma virus (HPV). So you might be surprised to learn that this sexually-transmitted virus is also a leading cause of throat cancer (oropharyngeal cancer), and it spreads from person to person via oral sex.
How does oropharyngeal cancer affect the body?
Oropharyngeal cancer is cancer in the oropharynx, which is the middle part of your throat (pharynx). Symptoms include a sore throat that doesn’t go away; a lump in the throat, mouth or neck; coughing up blood; white patch in the mouth and other symptoms.
Is oropharyngeal cancer curable?
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers can often be cured, especially if the cancer is found at an early stage. Although curing the cancer is the primary goal of treatment, preserving the function of the nearby nerves, organs, and tissues is also very important.
How long does it take for HPV to cause oropharyngeal cancer?
It takes a long time for the virus to make enough changes to cells to cause tumors. You can be infected for 10 years or more before a cancer develops.
How long does it take for oropharyngeal cancer to develop?
Cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx usually take many years to develop, so they’re not common in young people. Most patients with these cancers are older than 55 when the cancers are first found. HPV-linked cancers tend to be diagnosed in people younger than 50.
What is the survival rate for oropharyngeal cancer?
Survival rates for oral and oropharyngeal cancer vary widely depending on the original location and the extent of the disease. The overall 5-year survival rate for people with oral or oropharyngeal cancer is 66%. The 5-year survival rate for Black people is 50%, and for white people, it is 68%.
How long does oropharyngeal cancer take to develop?
What does oropharyngeal cancer feel like?
A lump or thickening in the lips, mouth, or cheek. A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth. A sore throat or a feeling that something is caught in your throat that doesn’t go away. Trouble chewing or swallowing.
How fast does HPV throat cancer spread?
The explosive type metastasis, where more than ten lesions in one organ appear quickly in a short period (within three months of appearance of the first lesion), was present in 55% of the HPV+ group, as opposed to none in those who were HPV-.
What is the survival rate for HPV throat cancer?
Patients with HPV-positive throat cancer have a disease-free survival rate of 85-90 percent over five years. This is in contrast to the traditional patient population of excessive smokers and drinkers with advanced disease who have a five- year survival rate of approximately 25- 40 percent.