Seven in 10 Americans are unaware that one of the world’s most common STDs can cause certain types of cancer.
A survey by researchers at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan found that up to 72.6 percent of people were unaware that the human papillomavirus (HPV) could lead to anal, oral and penile cancer by 2020. Three in ten also said they were unaware that it could cause cervical cancer.
The number who didn’t know it could cause cervical cancer had also fallen by seven percent since 2014, which the researchers said was concerning.
They warned that the falling numbers were leading to “suboptimal” uptake of the HPV vaccine, putting more people at risk for cancer.
The numbers are especially concerning given that 43 million Americans will contract HPV this year alone, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The chart above shows how many Americans said they knew HPV can cause the following cancers in 2014 and again in 2020. Knowledge of the link fell across the board
HPV is the most common STD in the United States, with about 43 million people becoming infected each year — mostly in their 20s
The study results were presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando, Florida.
The HPV vaccine is currently offered to all Americans ages 11 to 12, administered in two doses six to 12 months apart.
It is also available as a three-dose course for people aged 15 to 26, with the first two doses given within two months of each other and the third six months later.
But data shows that uptake is well below the required level, with just 54.5 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds getting their shot.
This is below the 80 percent target set by the government.
HPV is a common virus that is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who is already infected.
Most infections go away on their own without causing any problems. But if an infection persists or causes changes in human cells, it can lead to certain types of cancer.
The CDC says HPV is responsible for more than 90 percent of cervical and anal cancers, about 70 percent of vaginal and gulvar cancers, and 60 percent of penile cancers.
Dr. Eric Adjei Boakye, an assistant scientist at the Henry Ford Health Center in Detroit, Michigan, who led the research, said, “More than 90 percent of HPV-associated cancers can be prevented with the HPV vaccine, but the uptake of the vaccine remains suboptimal.
“Given the links between awareness of HPV-associated cancer and HPV vaccine acceptance, it is important that we raise public awareness of this link as it may help increase vaccine acceptance.”
In the study, researchers used survey data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, which regularly polls Americans about their attitudes toward cancer and its prevention.
They looked at seven years of data between 2014 and 2020, with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 and 2,350 people surveyed each year.
Participants were asked: ‘Do you think HPV is i) anal; ii) cervical; iii) orally; and iv) penile cancers.’
They could answer ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’.
The results showed that knowledge that any of these cancers could be caused by HPV declined across the board over the seven years studied.
The decline was strongest for cervical cancer, where about 77.6 percent of participants knew about the link in 2014. But by 2020, the latest available date, this had fallen to 70.2 percent.
For anal cancer, awareness of the link dropped from 27.9 to 27.4 between 2014 and 2020.
For oral cancer the decrease was almost two percent, from 31.2 to 29.5 percent, and for penile cancer there was also a decrease of almost two percent, from 30.3 to 28.4.
This graph shows the percentage of adolescents ages 13 to 15 who are up to date on their HPV vaccines. It is 54.5 percent, despite the government target being 80 percent
The above shows the proportion of 13 to 15 year olds who have received two or three doses of the HPV vaccine. Girls are vaccinated more often than boys
Dr. Boakye said the dwindling awareness may be caused by funding being diverted from campaigns advertising the risk of training doctors to promote and administer the vaccine.
He also said talk about the HPV vaccine had always been very “female-focused,” which may be why there was less awareness that it could also cause cancer in men.
He added: “Research has shown that the public has a high level of trust in HPV information when it is received from healthcare providers.
“Hence, health care providers should use every clinical visit to educate patients about the causal relationship between HPV and HPV-associated cancers, as well as the cancer prevention benefits of the HPV vaccine.”
The study was presented at the AACR’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, between April 14 and 19.