Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization as a Tool for HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis
Published on: June 14, 2019
Geographic clusters of human papillomavirus-associated cancer incidence in the US, 2008-2022
Todd Burus1, Krystle A Lang Kuhs2, Ashish A Deshmukh3
1Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Objective:
Despite known state and regional differences, United States (US) county-level patterns of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancer incidence remain unexplored.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed US county-level HPV-associated cancer incidence rates from 2008 to 2022 using the US Cancer Statistics Incidence Analytic Database to identify geographic clusters of high and low incidence. Clusters were identified using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic and assessed for differences in cluster-level sociodemographic characteristics and sex-and-site-specific incidence.
Results:
We found 373 hot spot and 409 cold spot counties, with median incidence rates of 16.14 and 10.62 per 100,000, respectively. Hot spot counties were particularly concentrated in Central Appalachia, the northern portion of the Mississippi Delta, and northern Florida. Compared to cold spots, hot spot counties were more rural (median, 72.02 % vs. 42.09 %) and had higher poverty (median, 17.71 % vs 10.51 %). The largest disparities between cluster-level incidence rates were observed in oropharyngeal and vulvar cancers, with rates over 60 % higher in hot spot counties than cold spot counties.
Conclusion:
Our study identified distinct geographic clusters with disproportionately high HPV-associated cancer incidence. These findings highlight areas where intensified prevention and control efforts, including direct vaccination, screening, and outreach efforts, are needed to eliminate HPV-related cancer disparities.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Prevalence and Incidence
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Cancer Survival Analysis

