Epidemiology of Oral HPV Infection and HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancers

Human papillomavirus (HPV) now causes the majority of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in the United States. The incidence of these HPV-related OPC are rapidly increasing, especially among men. We describe the trends in OPC including the changing risk factors for this disease, and differences in these trends by gender, race, and generation. Recent research explains why oral HPV infection is more common among men than women – and how these differences are not fully explained by sexual behavior. These differences in oral HPV natural history inform cancer trends.