HPV-associated cancers up, but rural teens less likely to get HPV vax - Entrepreneur Generations

Cancers associated with human papilloma virus are up, but rural teens are less likely to receive vaccinations that prevent HPV and other diseases, according to studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HPV is a known cause of several cancers, including cervical, oropharyngeal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and anal. In an analysis of cancer registries that cover almost 98 percent of the U.S. population, the CDC found that 30,115 new cases of such cancers were reported in 1999 and 43,371 in 2015.

"During 1999–2015, cervical cancer rates decreased 1.6 percent per year; vaginal squamous cell carcinoma rates decreased 0.6 percent per year; oropharyngeal SCC rates increased among both men (2.7 percent) and women (0.8 percent); anal SCC rates also increased among both men (2.1 percent) and women (2.9 percent); vulvar SCC rates increased (1.3 percent); and penile SCC rates remained stable. In 2015 oropharyngeal SCC (15,479 cases among men and 3,438 among women) was the most common HPV-associated cancer," according to the first study.

But though overall HPV vaccination rates increased from 60.4 percent to 65.5 percent from 2016 to 2017, rural teens remain less likely to know about HPV, be aware of the HPV vaccine or understand its role in cancer prevention, according to the second study. They're also less likely to get the vaccine to prevent meningitis. The overall shortage of health-care providers, especially pediatricians, in rural areas, may be partly responsible, the researchers wrote.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2N7mEXV HPV-associated cancers up, but rural teens less likely to get HPV vax - Entrepreneur Generations

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