Persistent oral HPV infections – Are we vaccinating against the right HPV types to prevent HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer?

• Published in: Oral oncology reports Vol. 10; p. 100423
• Main Author: Antonsson, Annika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Oral HPV; Oropharyngeal cancer; Persistence; Prevalence; Vaccination; Vaccine prevention; Persistence; Prevalence; OPC; Oral HPV; Vaccination; Oropharyngeal cancer; MeSH; Vaccine prevention; HPV
• ISSN: 2772-9060; 2772-9060
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oor.2024.100423

HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers are increasing. These cancers are thought to be preceded by several years of persistent oral HPV infection. There is no current method for early detection of oropharyngeal cancers, but there are HPV vaccines available to prevent HPV infection. The vaccines are HPV type specific and will only protect against HPV types included in the vaccine. It is therefore important to identify HPV types that are found in persisting oral infections. This review looked at data from publications on persistent oral HPV infections and the HPV types causing these infections, with the HPV types included in the current preventative HPV vaccines available in mind. •A long-term persisting oral HPV infection is thought to precede HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancers.•There are HPV vaccines that protects against high-risk HPV types.•We need to make sure that the types found in persistent oral HPV infections are included in the vaccines.