HPV and Throat Cancer in 2026 — The Silent ENT Epidemic Affecting Young Adults By Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty | ENT, Head & Neck Surgeon | Dr. Mohanty's Speciality ENT Clinics, Chennai If I told you that one of the fastest-growing cancers in the world right now is a throat cancer — and that it predominantly affects people who have never smoked a cigarette in their lives — you would probably be surprised. Most people are. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is the ENT story of our generation. And in 2026, it is reaching epidemic proportions globally. As a head and neck surgeon who has cared for patients with throat cancer for over 25 years, I feel a genuine urgency to put this information in front of as many people as possible. Because unlike many cancers, this one is preventable. And when caught early, it is highly treatable. What Exactly is HPV? HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus . It is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. The WHO estimates that virtua...
By Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty | Cochlear Implant & Hearing Specialist | Dr. Mohanty's Speciality ENT Clinics, Chennai My patient Rajan — a retired schoolteacher in his late 60s — sat across from me last year and said something I will never forget. He told me he had stopped going to his grandchildren's school plays because he couldn't follow what was happening. He felt like he was watching life from behind a glass wall. Rajan has moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss. After fitting him with a modern AI-powered hearing aid, he came back three weeks later with tears in his eyes. He had attended his granddaughter's Annual Day — and heard every word of her speech. This is why hearing technology matters. Not just clinically. Personally. The Quiet Crisis Nobody Talks About According to the World Health Organization , over 1.5 billion people globally live with some degree of hearing loss — and by 2050, that number is projected to rise to 2.5 billion. In India, e...