How a Mayo Clinic doctor and his colleagues are out to prevent, treat, and destigmatize HPV infections that can lead to cancer.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common viral infection that affects approximately 80% of sexually active people at some point in their lives. Common symptoms include warts around the genitals or other parts of the body. HPV is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact with someone who has the virus, even if they don’t have signs or symptoms.
While most HPV infections go away on their own within a few years, some will last longer and may cause cancer — which can develop 20 years or more after the original infection. The three main types of cancer caused by HPV are cervical cancer, anal cancer, and oropharyngeal (throat) cancer.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Edward Cachay and his colleagues at Mayo Clinic in Arizona are on a mission to destigmatize these preventable diseases through better screening and awareness.
Prevention is best
The FDA-approved HPV vaccine is the best way for everyone, regardless of gender, to protect against HPV infections, genital warts, and HPV cancers.
“We need to get our kids and grandkids vaccinated before they start their intimate lives,” says Dr. Cachay. “Despite misconceptions, the HPV vaccine is extremely safe and has been rigorously tested in millions of people worldwide.”
The vaccine works best before people are exposed to HPV through their first sexual contact. Also, younger people respond better to the vaccine than older people do.
The CDC recommends HPV vaccination at 11 to 12 years of age, but it can be started as young as age 9. All teens can be vaccinated, as well as young adults through age 26.
Screening reduces cancer by 57%
The screening guidelines for cervical cancer are well established. Current guidelines recommend that women ages 21 to 65 have a test that checks cervical cells for cancer, called a Pap test, every three years (or every five years for women ages 30 to 65 who also get an HPV DNA test at the same time).
Screening for the other major HPV-related cancers — anal and oropharyngeal — is less common. To help change this, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center created Arizona’s first multidisciplinary anal screening and prevention program and offers high-resolution anoscopy for those at risk.
While there are no standard screening guidelines for oropharyngeal cancers, HPV now causes more of these throat cancers in the U.S. than cigarettes and alcohol. That’s why Dr. Cachay recommends vaccination to prevent oropharyngeal cancer before it starts.
People with weakened immune systems from things like HIV or a solid organ transplant are at the highest risk for developing the most common HPV-associated cancers. If you have a weakened immune system, talk to your doctor about getting screened. Mayo Clinic specializes in treating high-risk patients, and is available to provide care directly, or to serve as a resource for your primary care physician.
Common misconceptions
Many people mistakenly believe anal cancer is only caused by anal-receptive intercourse. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, however, this misconception is stigmatizing for men and women, often making them reluctant to seek care, or leading them to believe they’re not at risk for HPV, when, in fact, they are.
“I tell everyone: don’t ignore symptoms,” says Dr. Cachay. “If you experience rectal bleeding or pain or a lump, seek immediate medical attention. The earlier you can be accurately diagnosed, the higher the odds that this disease is 100% curable.”
Genital warts can also be embarrassing to discuss, so many people avoid seeking care. But talking to a doctor is important, because even if you think your symptoms are gone, untreated infections may persist or return.
Dr. Cachay wants to reassure everyone that at Mayo Clinic, he and his colleagues deliver compassionate, nonjudgmental care that prioritizes shared decision-making with the patient. “We welcome everyone here. We want to destigmatize this issue so people will take a more proactive approach to treatment and prevention,” he says.
Innovative, multidisciplinary care
“What makes Mayo Clinic unique is that we offer multidisciplinary care where colleagues with differing expertise come together,” says Dr. Cachay. “The beauty of being an infectious disease doctor here is that we have the ability to bring all these different angles together to see the whole picture.”
Mayo Clinic continues to advance HPV-associated cancer care every day. Mayo’s team of experts is currently training a multidisciplinary group of physicians in performing high-resolution anoscopies, developing the first high-resolution anal cancer screening for everybody (not just those with HPV), maintaining a robust biorepository for cutting-edge research, creating less-invasive screenings based on biomarkers, and more.
Dr. Cachay is excited that all the innovative work happening at Mayo Clinic will save lives. “We’re leading the way. What we do here, others will follow — which will allow us to help even more people in Arizona and beyond.”
If you or a loved one may be at risk for HPV-related cancer, the experts at Mayo Clinic are available to help. Visit Mayo Clinic’s website to request an appointment or learn more.
