Background:Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is responsible for 4.5% of cancers worldwide, i.e., for around 630,000 new cases per year. Around 38,000 cases per year of HPV-related cancers arise in the head and neck region, of which 21,000 cases are oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs), with an increasing frequency in high-income countries. In our work, we aimed to collect the available evidence about the awareness of the relation between HPV infection and head and neck cancer among patients and practitioners.Methods:This review was based on all available prospective and retrospective studies, case reports, and review articles published up to May 2024 in PubMed. The search keywords used included “human papilloma virus” plus “head and neck cancer”, “awareness”, “infection”, “vaccination”, “awareness in patients and practitioners”, “oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma”, “HPV16-18”, “HPV awareness”, “cervical cancer”.Results:In the U.S.A., with more than 150.00 participants interviewed through different studies, the identification of HPV infection as a risk factor for head and neck cancer (HNC) was made by only 12–39% of the participants. Similar conclusions were drawn from European studies in which only 10–52% of the participants recognized HPV as a risk factor for HNC. HPV-related HNC awareness in health care providers and medical/dental students showed a high variability among studies, being otolaryngology and dental sciences specialists the most conscious in comparison to general practitioners, who demonstrated a low level of awareness.Conclusions:There is a dangerous lack of awareness about HPV infection and its potential role in HNC among both general populations and health care practitioners. A great effort should be made to increase awareness in both practitioners and the general population on this topic, also aiming to increase the HPV vaccination coverage.
背景：人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染在全球范围内导致了4.5%的癌症病例，即每年约63万新发病例。其中，每年约有3.8万例HPV相关癌症发生在头颈部区域，其中2.1万例为口咽鳞状细胞癌（OPSCCs），且在高收入国家中发病率呈上升趋势。本研究旨在收集关于患者及医疗从业者对HPV感染与头颈癌之间关系的认知程度的现有证据。 方法：本综述基于截至2024年5月在PubMed上发表的所有前瞻性与回顾性研究、病例报告及综述文章。使用的检索关键词包括“人乳头瘤病毒”加“头颈癌”、“认知”、“感染”、“疫苗接种”、“患者与从业者认知”、“口咽鳞状细胞癌”、“HPV16-18”、“HPV认知”、“宫颈癌”。 结果：在美国，通过多项研究对超过15万名参与者进行的访谈显示，仅12%至39%的参与者认识到HPV感染是头颈癌（HNC）的风险因素。欧洲研究得出类似结论，仅10%至52%的参与者认可HPV为HNC的风险因素。在医疗保健提供者及医学/牙科学生中，对HPV相关头颈癌的认知程度在不同研究间差异显著，其中耳鼻喉科和牙科专家的认知水平较高，而全科医生的认知水平普遍较低。 结论：普通人群与医疗从业者均对HPV感染及其在头颈癌中的潜在作用存在严重的认知不足。亟需大力提升医疗从业者及公众对此议题的认知水平，并以此推动HPV疫苗接种覆盖率的提高。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家