Announcer: Medical news and research from University Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope.
Interviewer: If you're listening to this podcast, it's because you want to learn more about the HPV virus and the cancer that causes it and probably more specifically because you've heard that it's causing more cases of head and neck cancer. We're with Dr. Marcus Monroe. He is a head and neck cancer expert and let's talk about HPV. There is one type of HPV that maybe more people are familiar with, not so much the head/neck aspect. So first of all, what is HPV? Just give us the basics.
Dr. Monroe: Yeah, sure. So HPV stands for Human Papilloma Virus. It's actually a group of well over a hundred different viruses of which, about 40 are known to be transmitted in humans and of these, a few of these subtypes are known to cause cancer in humans. The most well-known association, which has been known for decades, is the link between HPV and cervical cancer. That's the reason why women are recommended to get yearly screening pap smears.
