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New Staging For HPV-related Oropharyngeal Cancer
Science Related News
Human papillomavirus (HPV) status is a strong predictor of prognosis for patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC), but the current staging system does not adequately account for biological and clinical differences between HPV-positive OPC and HPV-negative OPC, commonly caused by alcohol and tobacco use, say researchers.
Source
Reducing radiation successfully treats HPV-positive oropharynx cancers and minimizes side effects
Human papillomavirus-positive oropharynx cancers (Cancers of the tonsils and back of the throat) are on rise. After radiation treatment, patients often experience severe, lifelong swallowing, eating, and nutritional issues. However, new clinical trial research shows reducing radiation for some patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas can maintain high cure rates while sparing some of these late toxicities. Ref. Source 5v.