New Blood Test Could Be Used To Test For HPV Before Oral Cancer Diagnosis
A blood test, which tests for antibodies to the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is associated with throat and mouth cancer, could be used to identify the virus years before oral cancer is diagnosed, according to representatives from the World Health Organisation.
In a study, which has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers from the WHO suggest that the blood test could enable doctors to screen patients for HPV, thus reducing the risk of them developing oral cancer further down the line.
Dr Paul Brennan, from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, said that previously, it was unknown whether or not the antibodies were present in the bloodstream before cancer cells became detectable. Dr Brennan, who led the research team, said that the research was “very encouraging.”
Dr Brennan said that if the results of the study are confirmed, the test could enable dentists and doctors to identify high risk patients and new screening tools could be developed to try and prevent cases from being diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the chance of survival is much lower.
The link between HPV and oral cancer was highlighted by Hollywood actor, Michael Douglas recently when he suggested that he had cancer as a result of oral sex in an interview with a British newspaper.
Scientists believe that HPV is a significant risk factor for oral cancer and this could be the reason that more young people are being diagnosed with the disease; other major risk factors include smoking and drinking alcohol. The number of cases of oral cancer has increased significantly in the last decade in the UK, North America and other parts of Europe.
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