Human Papillomavirus-Related Head and Neck Cancer

Due in part to the dramatic increase in virally mediated cancers, the demographic landscape of head and neck cancer (HNCa) is rapidly changing. While the incidence of HNCa has declined at various anatomic subsites, this downward trend is masked by unbridled growth in the number of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers (OPSCCs). The climbing incidence of OPSCCs is fueled by a dramatic rise in human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers, which are now recognized as a distinct disease entity.