HPV: A Significant Risk Factor in Head and Neck Cancers as Well

The Turkish Head and Neck Cancer Society organized various activities during Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, held annually in September, to raise public awareness and educate patients. The events emphasized that HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), one of the most important risk factors for head and neck cancers, can lead not only to cervical cancer but also to head and neck cancers.

Early Diagnosis Saves Lives
Head and neck cancers, which affect approximately 700,000 people worldwide each year and rank 6th among cancer-related deaths, are among cancer types that provide early warning signs. Despite this, in Turkey most patients do not heed symptoms, so diagnosis is usually made late.
Main symptoms include:

• Non-healing sores on the tongue or inside the mouth
• Throat pain
• Hoarseness
• Pain during swallowing or difficulty swallowing
• Persistent facial pain
• Neck swelling
• Bad odor in the nose, nasal obstruction or bloody discharge.

"HPV Awareness is Critically Important"
Prof. Dr. Şefik Hoşal, General Secretary of the Turkish Head and Neck Cancer Society and General Secretary of EHNS (European Head and Neck Society), stated:

"Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week has been held in our country since 2013 within the scope of the Make Sense campaign conducted by the European Head and Neck Society. Our aim is to share preventable risk factors of the disease with the public, emphasize the life-saving effect of early diagnosis, and support equal patient access to treatment. Just as HPV leads to cervical cancer, it is becoming an increasingly common cause of head and neck cancers. Therefore, raising awareness about HPV among all segments of society plays a critical role in reducing the frequency of these cancer types in the future."

Awareness Work Among Youth
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hatice Bengü Çobanoğlu, Faculty Member at Karadeniz Technical University Department of Otorhinolaryngology, visited three different high schools in Trabzon and met with students. At the informational meetings held, risk factors for head and neck cancers and particularly the effects of cigarettes and tobacco products were explained.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çobanoğlu said, "Raising awareness among young people is very important. If we raise a generation conscious about preventable risk factors such as cigarettes and tobacco products, we can significantly reduce the incidence of head and neck cancers in the future."