The rise of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers and the Center for Disease Control’s recent declaration that boys should get vaccinated, as well as girls, has made the public aware of another potential risk to their health. The Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania are ready to help people undergoing treatments for oral pathogens. However, there is not yet any effective way of testing specifically for HPV mouth and throat cancers.
HPV is very common, and usually harmless. While it is possible to test for HPV in a person’s mouth, only 1 percent of HPV infections become cancerous, while 80 percent of American adults are expected to have HPV at some point. Furthermore, the oropharynx is too far back to be easily observed with the tools used to detect cancers of the mouth, which are much more common, and the tissues of the throat are so creviced that scraping a small portion of them would be unlikely to catch cancerous cells even if they are present.
The best way of detecting oropharynx cancers is with visual and tactile examinations. These won’t find anything until after cancer has progressed, but they do often catch cancer in time to treat it effectively. They also may not identify HPV particularly as the cause, but doctors and patients are learning what to look out for.
Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania performs oral biopsies.. To schedule an appointment, call 215-463-4141 or visit OralSurgeryPA.com and fill out a contact sheet.
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