Oropharyngeal cancer (opc) has become the leading site for human papillomavirus (hpv)–associated cancers in humans. It is an epidemic that remains relatively unfamiliar to most physicians, potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment. Traditionally, cancers involving the head and neck have occurred in smokers and in those with a significant alcohol history. Typically, hpv-positive opc presents in a younger, healthier population with a different set of risk factors and good prognosis for survival. However, many head-and-neck cancer patients, including those with hpv-positive disease, develop lifelong disabilities because of the morbid nature of their treatments, and those patients have the highest level of unmet needs in studies spanning cancer sites.