James L. Klosky on HPV-Related Cancer in Childhood Cancer Survivors

James L. Klosky, PhD, director or psychological services and cancer survivorship, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, discusses HPV-related complications, including cancer, for survivors of childhood cancer.

Most sexually-active people will be exposed to the HPV virus in their lifetimes, but those with healthy immune systems usually clear it out of their bodies within 2 years, often without showing any symptoms. But for people like survivors of childhood cancer, who are usually immunocompromised, HPV can lead to many complications, including cancer.

Since the HPV vaccine is the first vaccine that can prevent cancer, it is especially important that survivors of childhood cancers get the vaccine.