The oropharynx is a part of the throat (along with the nasopharynx, hypopharynx and larynx) and includes the tonsils, the very back or base of the tongue, the soft palate, and the side and back walls of the throat.
Over the last decade, it has been discovered that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly associated with about 70-80% of new oropharyngeal cancers. HPV is a sexually-transmitted virus that up to 80% of sexually active people are exposed to at some point in their life. The good news is that HPV-mediated oropharyngeal cancers have a much more favorable prognosis than non-HPV-mediated cancers. We’ll go into greater detail about this as well as everything else one needs to know about oropharyngeal cancer in the sections to follow.
