Science on Tap

Dr. Joel Ernster, MD, FACS Colorado ENT and Allergy, will present "Throat cancer is on the rise, and you'll never guess why."

Prior to the 1990s, mouth and throat cancers had been seen almost exclusively in individuals who smoked too much and drank too much alcohol. Most patients were males in their 60s and 70s and survival was often poor.

Beginning in the 1990s, however, the pattern began to change. Patients were becoming younger, were non-smokers and only social drinkers. Moreover, researchers in Europe and in Maryland had begun to find viruses in the cancer tumors of these patients that were identical to the human papillomaviruses (HPV).

Five years ago, Dr. Ernster and his associates conducted a study in Colorado Springs using archival tissue from the Penrose Hospital pathology department and authored a paper that helped characterize a new epidemic. His Science on Tap talk will recount that process and the implications of this new type of “communicable cancer.” Be ready for a surprise!

Dr. Joel Ernster, of Colorado ENT and Allergy, is an accomplished Ear, Nose, and Throat physician practicing in the Colorado Springs area since 1986. A holder of two patents, author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, and owner of a prolific (and growing) list of research efforts, Dr. Ernster is an active physician at both Penrose-St. Francis and Memorial Hospitals, and currently serves as Penrose’s Chief of the Medical Staff.

Science on Tap is sponsored by the Colorado Springs Science Center Project (CSSCP) as a community outreach program designed to gather audiences in a fun and casual environment to learn from local scientists about contemporary science topics.

BSCS Executive Director Janet Carlson is a founding director of CSSCP, a collaborative, community-engaged initiative to build a science and technology center in Colorado Springs that stimulates and inspires the inquisitive mind.

Click here for more information about Science on Tap.