HPV-Related Cancers Sabita Saldanha and Tamara McEwen BioQUEST 2013 Summer Workshop Target Audience Undergraduate Course  Introductory Biology  Introductory Microbiology  Introductory Immunology  Introductory Health Management/Public Health  General Health Education Principles  Specific viruses are known to be the causative agents of specific diseases or conditions, including the following (  HIV – AIDS  EBV - Burkitt's lymphoma  HBV and HCV - liver cancer  HPV is the causative agent of several cancers including cervical, anal, penile, vaginal, and oropharyngeal (throat) (  Two subtypes, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are responsible for an overwhelming majority of these cancers ( Lowy and Schiller, 2012).  Vaccination is the best preventative measure against virally- induced cancers. Michael Douglas has revealed that his stage 4 throat cancer was the result of an HPV infection that he got from oral sex. By Deborah KotzBy Deborah Kotz, The Boston Globe, June 10, 2013 Throat Cancer and Oral Sex Analysis Tools Graphical Analysis students will interpret data presented in graphs students will generate graphs and/or maps based on data provided DATA SETS Lowy D R, and Schiller J T Cancer Prev Res 2012;5: Figure A: worldwide incidence and distribution of HPV-associated cancers (data from ref. 1). ©2012 by American Association for Cancer Research Data Sources and Supplementary Inform ation Reducing HPV-Associated Cancer Globally. Douglas R. Lowy and John T. Schiller. Cancer Prev Res : WHO/ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cervical Cancer (HPV Information Centre). Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers in World Summary Report Date Accessed 10Jun2013. Available at Introduction to HPV Problem Set HPV, human papillomavirus, is the causative agent of several cancers. Two subtypes, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are responsible for an overwhelming majority of these cancers. Vaccination against HPV can prevent most of these cancers. Males and females are both at risk for contracting HPV as it is a sexually transmitted infection. Lowy and Schiller, as well as the CDC and WHO, recommend vaccination of both males and females to prevent future cancers. Students will visually interpret various graphs and maps depicting the global incidence and mortality rates of HPV-related cancers. Students will be asked to generate at least one graph to support their hypothesis regarding the vaccination of both males and females against HPV. Background Links to the following:  specifically to viruses and cancer  CDC/WHO information on HPV related cancers  Information on Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines  You-Tube video about HPV Questions Pre Data Interpretation: 1.Many members of the general public assume that HPV is only associated with cervical cancers and is therefore only a concern for females. Why is this an erroneous assumption? Can males contract an HPV infection that may cause cancer? If so, what types of cancer(s) does HPV cause in men. 2.Should vaccination against HPV be mandatory for males and females starting at a specific age? 3.What age groups are most susceptible to HPV-related cancers? Question Post Data Interpretation: Does the data provided support the recommendation of vaccination for both males and females? Activities 1.Look at Figure A from Lowy and Schilling, Write a short paragraph describing the data contained in these graphs. 2.Once students complete activity 1, have a group discussion where they share their answers. 3.Go back and revisit pre-interpretation questions 1 and 2. 4.Examine incidence and mortality rates of HPV-induced cervical cancer worldwide (Tables 4 and 5, WHO). Compare the incidence and mortality rates for developing vs developed countries. Then pick one country from each category and create a graph depicting your comparison. 5.Examine Figures 10 and 16 (WHO). Write a paragraph describing the information given in the two figures. Then, create a new graph or figure in which you depict the most important data from the figures.