A new blood test can identify cancers of the head and neck caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) up to 10 years before symptoms appear.

This is the discovery of Mass General Brigham researchers who have shown how liquid biopsy—blood tests that detect circulating tumor DNA—could improve cancer care and outcomes.

HPV causes around 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancers in the U.S., making it one of the most common cancers caused by the virus, with rates increasing faster than all other head and neck cancers.

However, unlike cervical cancers caused by HPV, the lack of a screening test for HPV-associated head and neck cancers means patients are usually diagnosed after a tumor has grown large enough to cause symptoms and spread to lymph nodes.

Screening methods that can detect these cancers

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