Shame shame shame on USA Today!! I just the read the article that Charm quotes and am appalled at their shoddy reporting! The offending quote is below (which Charm has already quoted).

[quote] The proportion of HPV-related oral tumors has increased, however, growing from 16% of all oral cancers in 1984 to 1989, to 72% of these tumors from 2000 to 2004, the report says.[/quote]

The proportion of HPV related oral cancers did indeed constitute 16% of ALL oral cancers between 1984 and 1989 . To then state in the same sentence; "...to 72% of these tumours..." as if this bears any sort relationship to the 16% rate quoted in the same sentence is misleading and wrong. 72% relates to the incidence of HPV caused OROPHARYNGEAL (OP)cancer. 16% relates to ALL ORAL cancers.

The inference that HPV caused oral cancers have risen from 16% to 72% is at best, the result of an ignorant (and unsupervised) journalist, at worst, a ploy to shock and instill fear.

If they want to show how HPV has risen, the measure should be either all oral cancers OR all OP cancers not a mix of the two to tell the best story.

In the interest of those who come after, the numbers are recalculated and corrected (in round numbers only) below.

Just doing quick sums in my head, that 72% figure would be approx 21% of ALL oral cancers. I have rounded the numbers for ease of calculation (not so good at mental arithmetic anymore)and have assumed OP cancer is 30% of all cancers of which 70% are HPV+ve). Alternatively one could calculate the rate of all OP cancers, (again rounded and assumed OP cancer is 30%). This figure would be approx 50% in the 80s NOT 16%.

USA Today can't have it both ways it is either 16% VS 21% of ALL oral cancer or 50% VS 72% of OROPHARYNGEAL cancer. They way USA Today has done it is right up there with suggesting that the apples are the same as oranges because they both come from the same grocer.

HPV is still on the rise and we still need to write our letters, cry discrimination and camp out on our politicians' front lawns, but HPV is a common infection, highly preventable and nowhere near as scary as the numbers quoted in the magazine.

Of course, this level of sensationalism helps our cause to some extent but pity the poor buggers who read it and panic, or worse - the marginalised kid who is beaten up in the park because he is thought to have a life threatening infection and "deserves" a beating. The worst thing to happen for our cause will be the stigmatisation of HPV caused oral cancer.