The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released some corrected data on cancer diagnoses related to the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV). The virus is most often related to cervical cancer and this is the reason for the push for HPV vaccine administration in young girls entering puberty.
The CDC report, however, also released data that links HPV to other cancers of the anus, mouth and throat in addition to cervical cancer. A total of 25,000 reported cancers related to HPV per year. The report may be pointing to wider coverage for the vaccine and possible vacinations of adolescent males and females.
Cervical cancer is the most reported and has been presented as the largest threat to world health because advanced diagnostic screening techniques like pap smears are not widely available in other parts of the world and cause nearly two thirds of the diagnosed cervical cancer cases to result in death. The focus on other cancers shows the dangers of this sexually transmitted disease to cause cancers in other parts of the body.
Visit article link above and the CDC pages on HPV and the HPV vaccines here. The CDC has a host of resources for both medical professionals and patients. These links are important references for nurses in the field as well as nursing students and educators.
