Hi Christine, you are correct. There is no reference in the study to oral cancer. The subject title here is my own question. And I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on it since there seems to be HPV+ oral cancer survivors out there going ahead and getting the vaccine.

I did not speak directly to my GP, I spoke with his clerk or nurse and she said he was okay with me receiving it. I take it as he is not giving me any resistance. I can't really speak for him, but I don't think he will offer any explanation of how the vaccine might help because I am the one asking for it, and there is no research to explain it as an oral treatment.

My guess is there are questions, observations and assumptions being made to extrapolate it to preventing HPV+ oral SCC recurrence. Why is there a reduction in future cervical dysplasia in those women who receive the vaccine? Is the vaccine acting as an immune booster to help clear it like what most people can do naturally? If it does have the ability to help eliminate viral load in those already positive, perhaps it can also prevent future oral dysplasia or precursors to oral SCC caused by HPV. The assumption being that HPV+ cervical changes are similar in behaviour to HPV+ oral changes.

I think it helps that HPV is not a robust virus and most people can get rid of it on their own. In contrast, people do not normally clear Hepatitis B, so giving them the Hep B vaccine is unlikely to boost their immune system into clearing it.

Unfortunately, this novel approach will not work on someone who is immunocompromised. The HPV vaccine is not technically doing the work, rather it's the person's immune response to it.