ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Patients with head and neck cancer linked to high risk human papillomavirus, or HPV, have worse outcomes if they are current or former tobacco users, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
High-risk HPVs are the same viruses that are associated with cancers of the uterine cervix.
The research suggests that current or former tobacco users may need a more aggressive treatment regimen than patients who have never used tobacco.