Abstract
ObjectiveIncreasing numbers of patients face the psychosocial challenge of a diagnosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). We explored the psychosocial impact of an HPV‐OSCC diagnosis for patients and their partners.MethodsIn‐depth interviews were conducted with patients (n = 20) and a subset of their partners (n = 12), identified through medical records at two UK hospitals. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic Framework Analysis.ResultsOnly 12/20 patients interviewed (and five partners) were aware of their HPV status and the main analysis focused on this sub‐sample. In discussing the cause of their cancer, patients and their partners talked about not wanting to know; whether they disclosed the cause of their cancer to others; their reactions to being diagnosed with HPV; the prognosis information they were given and the questions they had about HPV. Most concerns were cancer‐related rather than HPV‐related, but some patients (n = 3) described feelings of embarrassment and perceived stigma about HPV.ConclusionSome patients and partners who are told HPV is the cause of their OSCC have questions about HPV and seek further information. Concerns and uncertainties about the sexually transmitted nature of HPV need to be addressed by health professionals.
Highlights
An increasing number of head and neck cancers (HNC) are attribut‐ able to human papillomavirus (HPV) (Chaturvedi et al, 2011)
Identifying a sexually transmitted infection as a causal factor may lead to ad‐ ditional distress in patients with HPV‐oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV‐OSCC) and their partners (Gold, 2012; Longacre, Ridge, Burtness, Galloway, & Fang, 2012; Shuman & Wolf, 2010)
This study explored the psychosocial impact of being diagnosed with HPV‐OSCC for patients and their partners
Summary
An increasing number of head and neck cancers (HNC) are attribut‐ able to human papillomavirus (HPV) (Chaturvedi et al, 2011). Common patient concerns related to HPV in HNC have been doc‐ umented to be how, when and why they got their cancer (Fakhry & D'Souza, 2013). The answers to these questions are often complex and, due to a lack of available evidence, sometimes unanswerable (Chu, Genden, Posner, & Sikora, 2013), with implications both for the.
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