According to new research out today, more than 70 percent of adults of any age do not know that the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause oral, anal, and penile cancers.
This knowledge gap comes even as famous actors such as Michael Douglas and Marcia Cross have opened up to the public about surviving these cancers themselves — and have confirmed that their cancers were HPV-related.
Read MorePercentage of Americans who don't know HPV can cause anal, oral, and penile cancers
Source: JAMA Pediatrics
RELATED: HPV Vaccine Shown to be Highly Effective in Wiping Out Cervical Cancer
What is HPV and How Does it Cause Cancer?
HPV is a highly common sexually transmitted virus. About 80 percent of people who are sexually active end up infected with HPV at some point in their lives. Most of the time, the body's immune system naturally clears the HPV on its own and the person never experiences health problems or symptoms. But in some cases, if someone has contracted one of the "high-risk" strains of HPV (there are about 14 'high-risk' strains out of roughly 100 strains total), the infection might linger over a long period of time, ultimately damaging cell DNA and resulting in cancer-causing mutations.
Anal cancer survivor Lillian Kreppel spoke with SurvivorNet about the importance of HPV education
Luckily, the HPV vaccine that is available todaywhich was first introduced in 2006 under the name "Gardasil,"is really effective when it comes to protecting people from the high-risk strains of HPV.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children ages 9 to 14 (both male and female) get two shots of the HPV vaccine six to 12 months apart.
Because HPV is usually transmitted during sex, the early age recommendation is meant to ensure the virus is prevented before children are sexually active. HPV is primarily spread by sexual contact, and the cancers it causes are often in intimate parts of the body. The CDC did recently expand these guidelines, though; now, adults ages 27-45 can get the HPV vaccine, too, if their doctors agree.
RELATED: HPV and Cancer Risk: The Basics
“We recommend strongly that children are vaccinated against HPV before they are sexually active.” Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation about HPV prevention.
Addressing the Knowledge Gap Could Protect the Next Generation From HPV-Linked Cancers
In a news release about the new study, Dr. Kalyani Sonawane of UTHealth, who co-led the study with Dr. Deshmukh, pointed out that the fact that so many adults don't know that HPV can cause anal, oral, and penile cancers is a big problem given as these adults will be the ones determining whether their children are vaccinated.
“Low levels of HPV knowledge in these older age groups is particularly concerning, given that these individuals are (or will likely be) parents responsible for making HPV vaccination decisions for their children,” Dr. Sonawane said.
Dr. Sonawane's concern mirrors the message that a lot of experts and survivors have imparted to SurvivorNet: today's parents have a major responsibility when it comes to ensuring that their children are protected from HPV-linked cancers.
RELATED: Cancer Doctor Explains Why Her Young Kids Are Getting the HPV Vaccine
"We know that in almost all cervical cancers can be prevented by the vaccine as well as some oral and some anal and squamous cell cancers in those areas," Dr. Heather Yeo, Associate Professor of Surgery and Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medical College and a medical advisor to SurvivorNet, told us in a recent interview about the HPV vaccine during which she shared that her own son and daughter had recently gotten their shots. "I would recommend that anyone who has an eligible teenager makes sure that they get the vaccine."
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