HPV-related head and neck tumors – 10 years of experience with human papillomavirus vaccinations

In the recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the incidence of head and neck cancers in Europe. Every year, 6,000 persons in Poland are diagnosed with a neoplastic proliferative disease in the head and neck region. The risk of cancer of this group increases with age in both genders, with a peak incidence around the age of 64. A diagnosis of a head and neck tumor typically occurs between the age of 45 and 64. In many European countries, including Poland, the so-called “epidemiological phenomenon” is observed. Epidemiological phenomenon consists in an increasing incidence of head and neck cancers in persons under 40 years of age who had never smoked or abused alcohol. The profile of patient with head and neck cancer has changed. It is estimated that over 90% of men and 80% of women will be infected with at least one type of HPV in their lifetime. Half of the infections are caused by the oncogenic types. HPV type 16 is responsible for 90% of high-risk infections and increases the likelihood of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancers by 15 to 230 times, depending on the type of the virus. In the view of the differences in course and prognosis in patients with HPV-related cancers, these tumors have been excluded from the existing TNM staging system (tumor, nodes, metastasis), and a separate classification, only for this group of tumors, was created. HPV vaccines have been one of the most important steps in cancer prevention in the last few decades. In Poland, 3 different vaccines are included in the National Vaccination Program as recommended, but they are not reimbursed by the State. Keywords