Northern Ontario HPV-related oral cancer stats 'mirror' national research: Sudbury oncologist

Doctor Andrew Pearce of Sudbury, Ont., says the number of oropharyngeal cancer cases have increased in northern Ontario.

The radiation oncologist at Health Sciences North says years ago, oral cancers were mostly due to high consumption of tobacco or alcohol, but he's noticed a gradual change in his patients.

Many of them also have the human papillomavirus, also know as HPV. It's the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study earlier this week which shows a 50 per cent jump in oral cancers caused by HPV.

• Cases of HPV-related oral cancers have risen significantly in Canada, study finds

• Male HPV-related oral cancer rates on the rise: Canadian Cancer Society

"That mirrors what we've seen in the [Sudbury] clinic over the past several years," says Pearce.

"Cancers in the mouth and in the throat had predominantly been associated with tobacco and alcohol exposure. That's changed over the past 10 to 15 years."

The national research looked at HPV-related tumours in more than 3,500 patients across the country using data from between 2000 and 2012.

"I think we saw it a bit slower in northern Ontario than some other parts of Canada," Pearce says. He attributes the slower pace to the region's higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption.

"The cancers that HPV cause are predominantly in the back part of the tongue and the throat, the tonsils. This is getting more and more common."

Pearce says these oral cancers have been found in both men and women.

Regular Pap tests help screen women for HPV

There is a method for screening women for the HPV virus. Health professionals use Pap tests to check a woman's cervix for problems. There is no equivalent test to screen men says Sudbury nurse practitioner Pierre Patry.

"But just based on statistics we know that if you're a sexually active person and have multiple partners then there's a good likelihood that at some point you've come in contact with the virus," Patry says.

"The best way to prevent or protect against HPV is a vaccination, " says Patry, adding that an individual can reduce further risk by using protection, like condoms during sexual contact or intercourse.

He says the Sudbury and District Health Unit will not be changing any of its public offerings based on the new research linking oral cancer to HPV.

"It's important to remember that there are other risk factors for oral cancers," Patry says referring to the use of tobacco products and alcohol.

"If you smoke, you should stop smoking ….[and] consume alcohol within the recommended Canadian guidelines for alcohol consumption," Patry says.

Should be cross-Canada standards

Pearce wants to see standards all across the country to help prevent the virus from spreading.

"When I see something like [HPV related cancer] and I know that there is a vaccine that can prevent this disease, to me it's imperative that, not just young women, but young men get vaccinated, preferably before they are sexually active," Pearce says.

Since the fall of 2016, Ontario has offered free HPV vaccinations for both males and females, starting at Grade 7. That is not the case in other provinces across Canada.