Infographic: mouth and throat cancers caused by HPV on the rise

CTV National News: Confronting a malignant menace Avis Favaro reports on the troubling and rapid rise of HPV-related cancers that is creating malignant tumours in both men and women.

​A special report released by the Canadian Cancer Society shows that cancers of the mouth and throat caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) are rising dramatically among Canadian men. According to the report, these cancers are poised to surpass the rate of cervical cancer in women.

For decades, people have known that HPV causes cervical cancer. However, many are not aware that HPV also causes othe​​r types of cancer and affects both sexes, not just women. According to the report, only 35 per cent of HPV cancers in Canada are cervical.

In 2012, 3,760 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed in Canada and of these, 35 per cent were mouth and throat cancer and 35 per cent were cervical cancer.

The report shows that between 1992-2012, the incidence rate of HPV mouth and throat cancers rose by 56 per cent in men and 17 per cent in women. Canadian men are more than four times prone to getting an HPV mouth or throat cancer than women.

In 2016, the number of HPV-associated cancers is expected to grow to almost 4,400.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, an HPV vaccination can reduce the risk of HPV-associated cancers in boys and girls aged 9 and older.

The first provincial publicly funded HPV vaccination programs were implemented in 2007. By the end of 2010, all provinces and territories had free, school-based HPV vaccination programs for girls, which varied slightly with regards to the school grade(s) targeted for vaccination. But not all provinces have comprehensive school-based HPV vaccination programs for boys.