Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD, MPH, MS, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, comments on screening for HPV-related cancers.

Currently, there is no good method for oral cancer screening for HPV-related cancers. Dentists conduct a visual exam of the oral cavity, which can detect the type of pre-malignancies that are related to tobacco.

HPV-related cancers occur in the oral pharynx in the back of the throat, D'Souza says, which is not visually accessible. Current visual exams are not good, and are usually detected at a very late stage.

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Dr. D'Souza on Screening for HPV-Related Cancers

Gypsyamber D‘Souza, PhD, MPH, MS, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the prevalence of oral HPV infections in the spouses of patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer.

An analysis looked at 147 patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer and 83 spouses/partners. HPV DNA was collected from all trial participants via an oral rinse. Overall, the study found that oral HPV16 DNA is common among patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, but not among their spouses.

These findings are reassuring for these couples, D‘Souza notes, particularly since the risk of developing HPV-related cancer remained low even after several years.

View more from the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting

Gypsyamber Dâ€˜Souza, PhD, MPH, MS, from Johns Hopkins University, discusses the prevalence of oral HPV infections in the spouses of patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer.

Gypsyamber DSouza, PhD

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