HPV, once known primarily as the virus behind cervical cancer is now raising new concerns. Across India, medical facilities have long run awareness campaigns urging vaccination before it's too late. Today, doctors are sounding a new alarm: HPV is increasingly linked to throat cancers.
Dr Chinnababu Sunkavalli, clinical director - surgical oncology and senior consultant in Robotic Surgical Oncology at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, explains, "Throat cancer, particularly oropharyngeal cancer affecting the tonsils and base of the tongue, is closely associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). In the US, around 60-70% of oropharyngeal malignancies are caused by HPV, most commonly the type 16 strain. Over the past few decades, this cancer is increasingly being seen in men aged between 35 and 55."
"We are seeing HPV emerge as a major cause of throat cancer, especially in individuals who neither smoke nor drink," adds Dr Nikhil Suresh Ghadyalpatil, senior medical oncologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills.
The real danger lies in HPV's ability to hijack normal cell function, says Dr Chinnababu. Once the virus infects throat tissue, it inserts its genetic material into host cells, disrupting the mechanisms that regulate cell growth. Tumour suppressor proteins such as p53 and retinoblastoma protein (pRb), which usually prevent uncontrolled cell division, are disabled. Over time, this interference can lead to genetic mutations and cancer.