Professor Andrew Schache and his team at the University of Liverpool are investigating how HPV-related head and neck cancers have changed over two decades, with funding from North West Cancer Research.
More than a decade ago, Professor Andrew Schache and researchers at the University of Liverpool studied oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, or OPSCC, a head and neck cancer affecting areas including the tonsils and base of the tongue.
They found that around half of cases were caused by human papillomavirus, better known as HPV. Between 2002 and 2011, the total number of cancers doubled, with increases in both HPV-associated and HPV-unrelated cases.
Those findings helped inform UK health policy, including the decision to extend HPV vaccination to school-age boys.
Now, with funding from North West Cancer Research, Professor Schache and his team are revisiting the data to see how the picture has changed.
Head and neck cancer has a disproportionate impact in our region. Prevalence in the North West is 17% higher than the rest of England, making it the fourth most over-indexed cancer type in the region.
HPV is very common and most people clear the infection naturally. Sometimes, however, it persists and can eventually lead to cancer.
The new project will analyse almost 3,000 samples from patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2021 across 12 large UK centres. The samples will be tested using methods consistent with the earlier study, allowing researchers to compare the two decades.
The team will examine changes in HPV-associated and HPV-unrelated cancers, as well as the HPV types involved.
The work will also provide an important reference point for understanding the long-term impact of HPV vaccination. Because these cancers can take many years to develop, the full benefits of vaccination will take time to become clear.
By showing how the causes of OPSCC are changing, the project could help guide future prevention and cancer service planning.
