Purpose: To understand trends in the incidence and mortality of two human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers, cervical and oropharyngeal cancer, in Massachusetts.
Methods: From 2004 to 2014, the Massachusetts Cancer Registry recorded 3,996 incident cases of oropharyngeal cancer and 2,193 incident cases of cervical cancer. Mortality data were obtained from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics from 2008 to 2014. Rates were age-standardized to the 2000 U.S. population and trends were assessed using joinpoint regression.
Results: While the incidence rate of cervical cancer (5.46 per 100,000) decreased by 2.41% annually (p = 0.004), the incidence rate of oropharyngeal cancer among males (7.85 per 100,000) increased by 2.82% annually (p = 0.0002). Mortality rates for both cancers decreased from 2008 to 2014 but were not statistically significant (cervical - 3.73% annually, p = 0.29; oropharyngeal - 1.94% annually, p = 0.44).
Conclusion: The rising incidence rate of oropharyngeal cancer in men and the decreasing, but relatively high, incidence rate of cervical cancer in women highlight the need for further screening and prevention by HPV vaccination in Massachusetts.
Keywords: Cancer; Cervical cancer; Human papillomavirus (HPV); Massachusetts; Oropharyngeal cancer; Population Surveillance.