According to a study published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health over half of the youth population of Brazil is currently contaminated with HPV.

Such data draws attention: HPV is a virus with potential to cause different types of cancer, such as cervix, penis, anus and more recently it was associated to throat cancer (tonsils and base of tongue).

Most of times the throat cancer is associated with smoking and alcoholism. However such association has changed in several countries around the world, with HPV becoming the main cause of cancer. In some European countries and in the USA throat cancer caused by HPV is already considered an epidemic by some scholars. In Brazil the data show that most of these tumors are still related to tobacco and alcohol.

However, this scenario is changing. We already have several patients with throat cancer caused by HPV even in Brazil.

How about the vaccination? Will it reduce the risk of such type of cancer? Yes! Vaccination against HPV prevents infection by the HPV virus that causes cancer. If no infection takes pace – there will no cancer caused by such virus.

Is vaccination effective to prevent infection?
Yes! A study was presented during the 2017 American Congress of Oncology (2017 ASCO Annual Meeting?), which assessed the oral infection by the HPV virus among youth adults after the vaccination. The vaccination resulted in an 88{46cf1a6c7461ff493d31bdca70d45967bd1ce7048f85e123712b94daa5b61391} reduction in the rate of infection of the oral cavity among the individuals who had been vaccinated.

Brazil has incorporated the HPV vaccination into its annual vaccination schedule. It was initially introduced for girls in 2014 and then for boys in 2017. However the adherence rate is still insufficient.

Each one of us needs to do our part. The question IS THERE A CURE FOR CANCER? – shall not be answered only by physicians.

Each one of us is responsible to search a CURE for cancer: be it taking direct care of a patient, researching, adopting healthy habits and finally, BEING VACCINATED AGAINST HPV.

Text elaborated by Dr. Aline Chaves – member of LACOG.