The main causes of these cancers include smoking, alcohol, and the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the University of Sheffield analysed data, noting that head and neck cancer diagnoses in England rose from 10,735 cases in 2019 to 12,400 cases by 2021. Deaths increased from 3,213 to 3,469 in the same period.
Oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the throat, tonsils, and back of the tongue, is a major contributor to the rising numbers, with cases up by 47 per cent since 2013. HPV, often transmitted through oral sex, is responsible for around 70 per cent of throat cancer cases. Dr Hisham Mehanna of the University of Birmingham highlighted that having multiple oral sex partners significantly increases the risk, with research dubbing the situation an “epidemic.”
Although HPV is generally harmless and affects eight in ten people at some point, certain strains can cause cancer. The HPV vaccine, available for children aged 11 to 12, has proven over 80 per cent effective at reducing these cancer rates. Yet, vaccination uptake has dropped, with only 67.2 per cent of girls and 62.4 per cent of boys fully vaccinated in 2021/22.
Professor Ali Khurram from the University of Sheffield stressed the devastating impact of head and neck cancer, calling for increased awareness and action to address these alarming trends.
