From 1999 to 2015, human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancer rates changed in the US, with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) now the most common HPV-associated cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from cancer registries covering 97.8% of the US population. It found:

• There were 30,115 new cases of HPV-associated cancers in 1999 and 43,371 in 2015.
• During the study period, cervical carcinoma incidence cancer rates decreased by 1.6%.
• Oropharyngeal SCC incidence rates increased 2.7% per year during the same time period among men and 0.8% per year among women.

Although population-based screening is recommended for only 1 HPV-associated cancer (cervical) at this time, the authors offer that HPV vaccination can prevent infection with the HPV types most strongly associated with cancer.