Can a 40-year-old develop OPC from prior oral HPV exposure?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query and can understand your concern.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a very common virus, and most people are exposed to it at some point. There are nearly 200 different strains of HPV, most of which are harmless and do not cause cancer. The ninth type is known to cause cancer, and another sixth type is suspected of causing cancers, as they are commonly found among the nine that are known to be oncogenic.

Among oral cancers, we are primarily concerned with HPV type 16, which is strongly linked to oropharyngeal cancer. According to research, a couple of exposures are not sufficient for the development of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, even if you are not vaccinated. The reason is that the virus needs to persist and potentially integrate into the host cell's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) over time, often for many years or even decades, before it starts causing a complete change at the cellular level to initiate malignancy.

Now, coming to your question. According to various studies, we divide the risk into categories. In the ‘low-risk’ group, oncogenic oral HPV prevalence was 1.7 percent among men with 0 to 1 lifetime oral sexual partners. It was higher among men who did not smoke and had two to four lifetime oral sexual partners. In the ‘medium risk’ group, oral HPV16 prevalence was 7.1 percent among men who smoke and had two to four partners and 7.4% among men who do not smoke and had five partners.

Last but not least, every mild throat irritation is not possibly related to any sort of malignancy, even though our human mind always thinks about cancer first. Doing warm saline water gargles five to six times a day will sort out the irritation in the throat.

If you have any doubts, you can get a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test done at the nearest centre. If you feel you are in the high-risk category, I would suggest getting vaccinated.

I hope this answers your query.

Let me know if I need to assist you further.

Thank you.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Yes, we do see cases of HPV associated OPC (oropharyngeal cancer) more often, but under the age of 40, it is very uncommon to see. A meta-analysis suggests an overall prevalence of 20 percent for HPV in head and neck cancers as compared to a 50 to 70 percent prevalence in other regions. I would have seen possibly two to three cases.

I hope this answers your query.

Let me know if I need to assist you further.

Thank you.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I had a detailed look at the tonsils (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity), and they seem fine. Some minor inflammation could possibly be there, which could be due to some acid reflux.

1. Keep sipping on boiled warm water every two hours.

2. Do salt water gargles five to six times a day for a month.

3. Avoid having anything cold or spicy, and have your meals on time.

These are sufficient; nothing major to worry about.

I hope this answers your query.

Let me know if I need to assist you further.

Thank you.