Age at Diagnosis

Cervical cancer is usually diagnosed at younger ages than other HPV-associated cancers. HPV-associated anal and head and neck cancers are generally diagnosed at slightly younger ages in men than in women.

The median age at diagnosis (the age at which half of cancer patients were older and half were younger), is—

• 47 years for HPV-associated cervical cancer,
• 70 for HPV-associated vulvar cancer,
• 69 for HPV-associated vaginal cancer,
• 68 for HPV-associated penile cancer,
• 62 among women and 57 among men for HPV-associated anal cancer, and
• 64 among women and 58 among men for HPV-associated head and neck cancers.

Rates of HPV-associated cancers and median age at diagnosis among women in the United States, 1998–2003

Rates of HPV-associated cancers and median age at diagnosis among men in the United States, 1998–2003

Note: Not all cancers of the head and neck were included. A smaller group of cancers in specific areas often associated with HPV were included. All cancers were limited to cell types most likely to be HPV-associated. This chart was adapted from Watson M, Saraiya M, Ahmed F, Cardinez CJ, Reichman ME, Weir HK, Richards TB. Using population-based cancer registry data to assess the burden of human papillomavirus-associated cancers in the United States: Overview of methods. Cancer 2008;113(S10):2841–2854.