Evidence continues to accumulate about the importance of HPV as a major, and growing, cause of oral cancers. A study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that the number of individuals with HPV related oral cancers more than doubled between 1980 and 2004. Furthermore, the percentage of oral cancers associated with HPV climbed at an even higher rate, since the number of smokers (and therefore the number of smoking related oral cancers) decreased during the same period.
If things continue as they are, the authors of the study believe that oral cancer, not cervical cancer, will eventually be the most common HPV related cancer. At the moment, there are things that individuals can do to reduce their risk of HPV related oral cancers, such as practicing safer oral sex, but there is not yet a screening program in place for oral cancer that can provide the same benefits of early diagnosis as the Pap smear. That said, it's possible that widespread HPV vaccination could prove an important aid in oral cancer prevention - something which might lend weight to the CDC's ongoing debate about whether to recommend routine vaccination for young men.
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