Medical students’ knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV vaccine and head and neck cancer - Brief report

Sep 21, 2026

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection with major global impact, and prevention relies on vaccination, prophylactics, and education. Because HPV-related cancers typically develop years or decades after infection, HPV prevention also supports cancer prevention. This brief report evaluates Puerto Rican medical students’ knowledge of HPV, HPV vaccine, and head and neck cancer (HNC) using two validated online questionnaires with 38 dichotomized items, finding knowledge gaps across domains.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

HPV prevention and cancer linkage

Need for updated medical school curricula

Study overview

Specific aims

Knowledge assessment approach

BRIEF REPORT Medical students’ knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV vaccine and head and neck cancer Norangelys Solis-Torres, Isardo Braverman-Diaz, Luis A. Rivera-Morales, Jose J. Perez-Sanchez, Valeria S. Perez-Bravo, Angel J. Neris-Sanchez, Alexis Vera, and Yaritza Diaz-Algorri Master of Public Health Program, San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, Caguas, Puerto Rico ABSTRACT The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that significantly affects the population worldwide. HPV preventive methods include vaccination, prophylactics, and education. Different types of cancers associated with HPV usually take years or decades to develop after infections, such as Head and Neck Cancer(HNC). Therefore, HPV prevention can be considered cancer prevention. A sample of medical students in Puerto Rico was evaluated to assess their knowledge about HPV, HPV vaccine, and HNC through two previously validated online questionnaires composed of 38 dichotomized questions, we measured HPV, HPV vaccination(HPVK), and HNC knowledge (HNCK) . Out of 104 students surveyed, the mean HPVK score obtained was 20.07/26, SD = 3.86, while the mean score for HNCK was 6.37/12, SD = 1.78. Bidirectional stepwise regression showed study year and HPV Vaccine name had been the most influential variables on HPVK and HNCK. MS1 participants scored lower than MS2-MS4 participants, with no significant difference between MS2-MS4 scores. The results reveal knowledge gaps in HPV/HPV Vaccine and HNC among surveyed medical students. Our findings also suggest an association between knowledge of personal vaccination status, self-perceived risk, and how uncertainty in these factors may affect the medical students’ understanding of HPV, HPV vaccination, and associated cancers. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 8 November 2023 Revised 2 April 2024 Accepted 13 April 2024 KEYWORDS Human Papillomavirus (HPV); HPV vaccine; HPV knowledge; Head and Neck Cancer (HNC); HNC knowledge; medical students; medical education Introduction The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that significantly affects the population worldwide. 1 It is also the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States of America (USA), with 79 million infections and approximately 14 million new infections every year.2 According to data reported from epidemiologic studies of HPV infection prevalence, Puerto Rico (P.R.) has rates up to 79% .3 The most common and recommended preventive methods against HPV are vaccination, prophylactics, and education.4 Some different types of cancers are associated with HPV, and some of them usually take years or even decades to develop after infection.5 According to Vokes,6 over the last two decades, it has been recognized that Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) is related to this virus. Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of HNC.7,8 The American Cancer Society (ACS)9 estimates that in the USA, in 2023, about 54,540 new cases of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer will be diagnosed, and about 11,580 will die from these types of cancers. The P.R. Central Cancer Registry10 indicates that oral cavity and pharynx cancer was the sixth most diagnosed among men from 2015–2019, accounting for 3.6% of all cancer incident cases and less than 1.0% of mortality cases. The P.R. Central Cancer Registry (2016–2020) reports that cervical carcinoma (11.4), oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (2.7), and penile squamous cell carcinoma (2.3) are the top three incident HPVrelated cancers, with rates per 100,000 and age-adjusted. 11 Primary care physicians are usually the first or only source of information most patients have to receive about HPV and its vaccine. In some medical schools, the curriculums are not up to date on the topic of HPV. 12 However, the extent to which the students are trained in this topic in their schools remains unclear.2 In P.R., the physician training curriculum is structured in four years of study,

FAQs

What prevention methods for HPV are highlighted in the report?

The report emphasizes vaccination, prophylactics, and education as key preventive methods against HPV.

How was students’ knowledge assessed?

Knowledge about HPV, HPV vaccination, and HNC was measured using two previously validated online questionnaires with 38 dichotomized questions.

What did the study find about medical students’ knowledge levels?

Students showed lower mean scores in HNC knowledge than in HPV vaccine knowledge, indicating knowledge gaps across HPV, HPV vaccine, and HNC topics.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Emma Wilson