**Preventing Oropharyngeal Cancer: The Importance of Awareness and Vaccination in Adolescents**
Oropharyngeal cancer is a worrying reality that is experiencing a worrying increase in cases, largely due to risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Faced with this alarming trend, awareness and vaccination of adolescents are becoming essential levers to combat this disease.
Data analyzed by the Office for Health Improvement and Inequalities (OHID) and the University of Sheffield reveal a significant increase in head and neck cancer diagnoses in England, from 10,735 cases in 2019 to 12,400 cases by 2021. Similarly, the number of deaths related to these cancers has increased, from 3,213 to 3,469 over the same period.
Among oropharyngeal cancers, oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the throat, tonsils and base of the tongue, stands out for its rapid progression, with a 47% increase in cases since 2013. HPV, often transmitted sexually, is responsible for around 70% of throat cancer cases. Dr Hisham Mehanna of the University of Birmingham highlights the crucial role of risky sexual practices, in particular the high number of sexual partners that can significantly increase the risk of developing these cancers.
Although HPV is generally harmless and affects eight out of ten people at any given time, some strains can cause cancer. Vaccination against HPV, available for children aged 11 to 12, has been shown to be more than 80% effective in reducing the rates of cancers linked to this virus. Unfortunately, vaccination rates have dropped, with only 67.2% of girls and 62.4% of boys receiving the full recommended doses in 2021/2022.
It is essential to highlight the importance of raising awareness around oropharyngeal cancer and HPV vaccination, particularly among adolescents. Through clear and accessible information, it is essential to encourage collective awareness of the risks associated with this virus and the available means of prevention, such as vaccination. Protecting the health of future generations requires preventive and informed action from an early age.