Why Are More Older Men Getting Throat Cancer?

For example, the lingual tonsil tissue located at the back part of the tongue has deep crevices — like a prune — that can allow the virus to embed there in a dormant state for years before it leads to cancer, St. John says.

This could partly explain the trend of increased rates of HPV that doctors are now seeing among older men. While several factors could contribute to the rise of cases in older men specifically, researchers suspect one issue is that these men could have acquired HPV decades ago — before the vaccine was available to protect them and their partners — which gave the virus plenty of time to grow and develop before being detected.

Because HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, experts say, there can be a stigma that causes people to feel embarrassed and may make them hesitant to discuss their symptoms or diagnosis. Doctors hope that educating people about the prevalence of HPV will help lessen the stigma, which in turn will, ideally, lead to greater awareness and better prevention, particularly among men.

“While HPV vaccination is known to be highly effective in preventing cervical cancer, decreased awareness and stigma surrounding HPV vaccination for men and young adolescents remain a central barrier and explain the increasing rates that we are seeing among this population,” says Dr. Dustin Silverman, a head and neck surgical oncologist at UC Health and assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Symptoms of throat cancer

People who develop throat cancer may not realize it right away, St. John says, because in the early stages, “90 percent of the time, people have absolutely no symptoms in their throat. They don’t present with difficulty swallowing or chewing.”

The most common first symptom, she says, is a painless lump in the neck that people may notice while shaving or showering — and that doesn’t go away with physician-prescribed antibiotics or steroids.

Silverman says other important symptoms include persistent and long-lasting difficulty swallowing, sore throat, hoarseness or voice changes, ear pain or unexplained weight loss. He encourages anyone who notices any of these issues, even if the symptoms aren’t causing pain or discomfort, to let their doctor know right away.

Treatment for throat cancer

The good news: Doctors say HPV-related throat cancer is highly treatable, with St. John citing a cure rate of 80 to 90 percent for throat cancer linked to HPV. 

Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination of these, and Silverman notes that transoral robotic surgery (TORS), a minimally invasive robotic surgery technique, allows for the removal of these cancers with improved 3D visualization and reduced side effects.

How to protect yourself

“Prevention plays a fundamental role in lowering the risk of HPV-related throat cancer,” says Silverman. “Routine medical and dental visits and screenings are important to identify cancer in its early stages. In addition to smoking, tobacco and alcohol avoidance, practicing safe sex and limiting the number of sexual partners may also reduce the risk of HPV transmission and development of cancer.”

The HPV vaccine is highly effective and can help protect against the HPV strains that can cause throat cancer. This vaccine is primarily recommended by the CDC for young people between the ages of 11 and 26.

“The recommendation is that children age 11 to 12, prepuberty age, should receive this vaccine with their pediatrician, and that’s what we recommend to families,” says St. John, adding that data has also shown that people up to the age of 45 can benefit from the vaccine.

While she says there’s no evidence of the vaccine’s efficacy for people age 45-plus, mainly because most people have already been infected with HPV by that point, some patients in that age group may decide to get the vaccine after consulting with their doctor.