There are almost 200 deaths in Ireland every year due to cancers associated with new human papilloma virus (HPV), a new report has shown.
According to findings from the National Cancer Registry (NCRI), there are 641 cases of new HPV-associated cancers diagnosed and 196 cancer deaths in Ireland a year.
HPV is a group of viruses known to infect the genital area, the mouth and the throat.
According to the NCRI, HPV is well-established as an important risk factor for cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile and anorectal cancers, as well as head and neck cancers.
Almost all sexually active people develop HPV infections, and about half of these infections are with a high-risk HPV-type virus.
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HPV vaccination was introduced for girls in first year of secondary school from 2010 and extended to boys in 2019.
The findings show that the incidence rate for most HPV cancers, other than cervical cancer, has increased since the 1990s.
Most are diagnosed early, however, in head and neck cancer cases the majoirty are diagnosed late.
Cervical, oropharyngeal and anorectal cancers are usually diagnosed at younger ages than other HPV-associated cancers, the NCRI said.
Survival rates for most HPV-associated cancers have continued to improve, though survival rates vary by the type of cancer.
Head and neck and anorectal cancer survival rates have improved more than penile or vulval cases.
The NCRI found that HPV-associated cancers account for almost 3% of all invasive cancers, excluding melanoma skin cancer, in Ireland.
However, they account for 7% of invasive cancers in adults aged 20 to 49.
The Director of the NCRI Professor Deirdre Murray said a combination of the vaccination programme, introduced for girls in 2010, and increased screening has lead to a drop in HPV-associated cancers for women, but that there has been an increase in associated cancers for men in recent years.
She told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: "Back in 2017 women had two-to-three times more HPV associated cancers then man.
"Now we're less than double than men, because of the fall in cervical cancer and the more rapid increase in head and neck cancers in men that we're seeing in women."
Prof Murray said the fall in incidence in cervical cancer cases highlights the success of the HPV screening programme.
She said: "Pre-cancerous lesions are being detected early and being removed and then that's stopping them going on to to develop invasive cancers."
The vaccination programme for girls is also now showing a reduction in pre-cancerous lesions, she added.
