Recent BBC coverage of new HPV vaccine figures has highlighted just how powerful cancer prevention can be.
The report refers to the HPV vaccine as a “life-saving jab” after research showed the major impact it is already having in reducing deaths from cervical cancer. It is hugely encouraging news, and it deserves to be welcomed.
But it also gives us an important opportunity to widen public understanding.
The HPV vaccine is not only about cervical cancer.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is also linked to some cancers of the mouth, throat, head and neck. That means the protection offered by the HPV vaccine matters for boys as well as girls, and for future generations who may otherwise have faced cancers that could potentially have been prevented.
You can read the BBC article here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c621z28z138o
A major moment for cancer prevention
Gordon Dow, Chief Executive of the Throat Cancer Foundation, welcomed the figures and said:
“These are incredibly important figures. They show what can happen when prevention is taken seriously. In the decades to come, we should see the benefits of HPV vaccination reach beyond cervical cancer, including a reduction in some HPV-related throat cancers.
“But vaccination is only part of the story. Millions of people alive today were too old to benefit from the routine school HPV vaccination programme, and many others may have missed the vaccine when it was offered. For them, throat cancer awareness remains vital.”
At the Throat Cancer Foundation, we have long believed that prevention must be taken seriously. The HPV vaccine is one of the clearest examples of cancer prevention in action.
When people are vaccinated before they are exposed to high-risk types of HPV, their future risk of developing HPV-related cancers can be greatly reduced. That is why routine vaccination for both girls and boys is so important.
HPV and throat cancer
Many people still associate HPV mainly with cervical cancer. That is understandable, because cervical cancer has been at the centre of HPV vaccination campaigns for many years.
But HPV can also be linked to cancers affecting the tonsils, the back of the tongue, the soft palate and other parts of the throat. These are often described as HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers.
This does not mean that all throat cancers are caused by HPV. They are not.
Throat cancers can also be linked to smoking, alcohol, age, other health factors and, in some cases, causes that are not fully understood. That is why awareness still matters, even as vaccination improves protection for future generations.
The vaccine protects the future, but awareness protects people now
The HPV vaccine gives us real hope that some HPV-related cancers may become less common in the decades ahead.
But we also have to be honest.
There are millions of adults who were never part of the routine school HPV vaccination programme. Many adults — particularly those in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond — were already too old to benefit from routine school HPV vaccination when it became available. Others may have missed the vaccine when it was offered.
For those people, and for anyone who develops symptoms, early awareness remains essential.
A vaccine programme can help protect future generations, but it cannot diagnose someone who already has symptoms today.
That is why the Throat Cancer Foundation’s message remains simple:
Prevention where we can.
Early diagnosis where we can’t.
Know the signs
Everyone should be aware of possible signs and symptoms of throat cancer, especially if they are persistent or unexplained.
Symptoms can include:
- a persistent sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- a lump in the neck
- ongoing hoarseness or voice changes
- ear pain on one side
- unexplained weight loss
- coughing up blood
- breathing, eating or swallowing problems that do not improve
Most of these symptoms will not be cancer. But if they do not go away, they should not be ignored.
If something feels wrong, get it checked.
A message for parents and carers
If your child is offered the HPV vaccine, please read the information, ask questions if you need to, and take the opportunity seriously.
The HPV vaccine is not simply a vaccine against one cancer. It helps protect against high-risk types of HPV that are linked to several cancers, including some mouth and throat cancers.
This is about giving young people protection before they need it.
It is about preventing cancers before they ever have the chance to begin.
TCF’s position
The Throat Cancer Foundation welcomes these latest HPV vaccine figures.
They show what is possible when science, public health and prevention work together. They also reinforce why clear public education is so important.
We want more people to understand HPV.
We want more parents to understand why vaccination matters.
We want more adults to know the signs of throat cancer.
And we want persistent symptoms to be taken seriously.
The HPV vaccine is a powerful step forward. But our work is not finished.
Prevention matters.
Awareness matters.
Earlier diagnosis matters.
And for the millions of people who were too old to benefit from routine HPV vaccination, being throat cancer aware remains as important as ever.
