The prevalence of throat cancer caused by a prominent sexually transmitted disease among Australian Indigenous people has been uncovered by new global research.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide found that throat cancer caused by the human papilloma virus was 15 times more common among Indigenous Australians than young non-Indigenous Australians, and five times more common than rates found in the US, Brazil , Mexico and Finland.
Joanne Hedges, director of the UOA’s Indigenous Oral Health Unit and Ms. Yamatji, said Indigenous communities had worked closely with researchers on the project.
“Participants wanted to be part of this HPV project because they wanted to be part of the change,” he said.
“The issue that came up was, ‘I killed a family member with this throat disease and I don’t want it to happen to any other Nunga in my community or family.’
“There was a real force of participation.”
HPV is commonly associated with cervical cancer, but it can spread to the throat, head, and neck through oral sexual activity, and is increasing at a rapid rate worldwide.
Lisa Jamieson, director of the Australian Oral Health Research Center at the University of Adelaide, said expanding the study would allow for a deep immersion in the knowledge they had already learned.
“There are two types of oral HPV, types 16 and 18, that are related to oropharyngeal cancer, of the more than 250 types in general,” he said.
“Sixteen and 18 have the strongest carcinogenic potential (type 16 has an almost 100% risk of cancer), so it is important that we understand the prevalence of this disease in indigenous communities.
“We will do thorough clinical examinations, which include a complete dental checkup of the teeth, tongue, back of the throat and taking blood samples to test for the early stages of cancer.”
Initial findings have led to five-year extensions to the $ 3.1 million National Health and Medical Research Council fund.
The ultimate goal of the research is to detect the first signs of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer before it becomes fatal.
More than 1,000 Indigenous people from across South Australia, including Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Coober Pedy, Ceduna, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie and Riverland, were recruited for the study, which began in 2019.
School dean and principal Richard Logan said that if detected early, throat cancer treatments could reduce the risk of death and improve quality of life.