New figures from the Canadian Cancer Society suggest malignant tumours in the mouth and throat caused by the human papillomavirus have risen sharply among men and could surpass the rate of HPV-induced cervical cancer in women.
The organization says HPV-related mouth and throat cancers jumped 56 per cent in males and 17 per cent in females between 1992 and 2012, the latest year for which statistics are available.
An estimated 1,335 Canadian men and women were diagnosed with HPV-linked cancers in 2012, and about a quarter of them died from the malignancies.
Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide.
Most sexually active men and women become infected with HPV at some point during their lifetime.
Most people clear the virus in about two years, but in a small number of those infected, the virus persists and can later cause cancer.
This year, almost 4,400 Canadian men and women will be diagnosed with an HPV cancer, including cervical, genital and anal cancers, and about 1,200 will die from their disease.
Some other highlights from the society's statistics.
- An estimated 202,400 new cases of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) will be diagnosed in Canada this year. An estimated 78,800 people will die from the disease.
- Lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers will account for more than half the cases.
- Canadians aged 50 to 79 will represent 70 per cent of all new cancer cases and almost 62 per cent of cancer deaths. The highest proportion of new cases will occur in those 60 to 69, while the highest proportion of deaths are expected in those 80 and older.
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men: 21,600 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 4,000 will die from the disease.
- Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women: 25,700 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 and about 4,900 will die from it.
- Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women, followed by colorectal, breast and pancreatic cancers. This year, an estimated 28,400 Canadians will be diagnosed with lung cancer and about 20,800 will die from the disease, making it responsible for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths.
- Colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in about 26,100 Canadians and will lead to the deaths of about 9,300.
- Overall, an estimated two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes; an estimated one in four Canadians will die from the disease.
- Canadian Cancer Society epidemiologist Leah Smith says studies suggest that as Canada's population continues to grow and as it ages, there will be an almost 40 per cent jump in the number of annual cancer cases by 2030, even though the rate of new cancers per 100,000 Canadians will remain relatively stable.
With a file from Siobhan Morris