Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?

A lot of people don’t know that Human Papillomavirus can cause cancer – or assume that it can only cause cervical cancer, because that’s the one that’s talked about the most. But HPV can cause a handful of other cancers, including throat. Cancers in the back of the throat are often caused by tobacco and alcohol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but recent studies have indicated that as many as 60-70% of these throat cancers may be linked to HPV – or caused by a combination of HPV, alcohol, and tobacco.

“There are no screening guidelines to screen for throat cancer, unlike cervical cancer with pap smears,” says Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. “There are no standard tests to determine if you harbor the virus.”