OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of anogenital, cervical, and head and neck cancers, affecting both genders significantly. This study aims to assess the impact of HPV on public health by analyzing hospitalization rates for HPV-associated cancers in Mexico from 2011 to 2019.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the inpatient database from the Mexican public healthcare system, encompassing approximately 50% of the population. Average hospitalization rates for oropharyngeal, laryngeal, oral, anal, vulvar, vaginal, cervical, and penile cancers per 100,000 people were calculated using age-specific population prospects data. HPV-attributable fractions were estimated using data from published literature.

RESULTS: From 2011 to 2019, there were 116,632 hospitalizations due to HPV-associated cancers, with 98,546 in females and 18,086 in males. On average, 12,959 annual hospitalizations occurred (10.6 per 100,000), including 10,950 for females (17.6 per 100,000) and 2,009 for males (3.4 per 100,000). Cervical cancer accounted for 90.1% of cases, while head and neck cancers were more prevalent in males (73.8%). Anal cancer had similar hospitalization rate in males (0.23 per 100,000) and females (0.29 per 100,000), while the hospitalization rate for oropharyngeal cancer was higher in males (0.38 per 100,000) compared to females (0.17 per 100,000). On average, there were 10,906 HPV-attributable hospitalizations annually: 10,259 among females and 647 among males. Cervical and head and neck cancers were the most common, with an estimated 9,871 annual hospitalizations for cervical cancer and 449 for head and neck cancers (315 among men and 134 among women).

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study emphasize the need to effectively address the challenges posed by HPV-associated cancers in Mexico. Comprehensive public health interventions, including HPV vaccination programs, should be prioritized to prevent these potentially avoidable diseases and reduce their impact in both genders.