Michael Douglas' recent announcement that his throat cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease, has raised awareness about an important men's health issue.
Douglas said the cause was human papillomavirus (HPV) he caught from giving oral sex. HPV, a very common sexually transmitted virus, is the No. 1 cause of throat cancers and can lead to tongue cancers.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection. More than 90 percent of sexually active men and 80 percent of sexually active women will be infected with HPV in their lifetime. Around 50 percent of HPV infections involve certain high-risk types of HPV, which can cause cancer.
It usually takes years after being infected with HPV for cancer to develop. It is unclear if having HPV alone is enough to cause oropharyngeal cancers, or if other factors (such as smoking or chewing tobacco) interact with HPV to cause these cancers.
In general, HPV is thought to be responsible for more than 90% of anal and cervical cancers, about 70% of vaginal and vulvar cancers, and 60% of penile cancers.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.
Most men who get HPV never have symptoms. The infection usually goes away by itself. But, if HPV does not go away, it can cause genital warts or certain kinds of cancer. Talk to your healthcare provider about anything new or unusual on your penis, scrotum, anus, mouth, or throat.
The risk of HPV throat cancer may be slightly higher among partners of people with HPV throat cancer, but this cancer remains extremely rare among partners. Unlike for cervical cancer, there is no current effective screening test for HPV-related throat cancer.
What is the life expectancy for HPV throat cancer?
Patients with HPV-positive throat cancer have a disease-free survival rate of 85-90 percent over five years. This is in contrast to the traditional patient population of excessive smokers and drinkers with advanced disease who have a five- year survival rate of approximately 25- 40 percent.
Instead of going into a panic yourself, she really needs you to be the more stable person. Get yourself informed and educated, and consider going to her appointment so you can ask questions, too. She needs to focus on keeping her cool and calm, so it's not helpful if the man is just adding to her stress.
Most sexually active couples share HPV until the immune response suppresses the infection. Partners who are sexually intimate only with each other are not likely to pass the same virus back and forth.
HPV can affect men. HPV can affect men. The virus causes 90 percent of anal cancer, about 60% of oropharyngeal (tonsils, throat, base of tongue) cancers, and rarer cancers, such as 50 percent of penile cancers. There is currently no approved screening test for HPV in men.
Globally, it is estimated that 625 600 women and 69 400 men getting an HPV-related cancer each year. Cervical cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths in women in 2020, with an estimated 604 127 new cases and 341 831 deaths worldwide (3).
Each year in the US: More than 21,000 women and about 15,000 men are affected by cancers caused by HPV. More than 4,000 women die from cervical cancer. More than 11,500 men are diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer of the back of the throat.
There are at least 12 high-risk strains of HPV, but only two—types 16 and 18—cause the majority of HPV-related cancers, including those involving the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, and anus. High-risk HPV strains can also lead to cancers of the throat, tongue, and tonsils, known as oropharyngeal cancer.
While it may seem like it is possible, luckily, oral HPV is. not easily transmitted by sharing drinks, but that does. not mean there are no other methods that can spread. the virus.
HPV can clear up naturally – as there is no cure for the underlying HPV infection, the only way to get rid of HPV is to wait for the immune system to clear the virus naturally.
It's your decision whether or not to tell your partner you have HPV. If you do decide to tell your partner you have HPV, it might help to include these points: HPV is very common in women and men who have ever had sex - four out of five people will have HPV at some point in their lives, and most won't even know it.
While it isn't a common mode of transmission, you can get human papillomavirus (HPV) through hand contact, such as by fisting or fingering. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is a highly contagious virus that spreads from skin to skin.
If there are no symptoms for males, it is hard to test for it. Most of the time, men will not have any health risks such as cancer with the “high-risk” types of HPV. It is the female's cervix that needs to be monitored.
In fact, cervical cancer from HPV commonly takes 10 to 20 years or more to develop. “The fact that it can lie dormant is why we still routinely screen for it even if new exposure is not a concern,” says Dr. Niemann.
Many STDs such as Trichomoniasis, (“Trich”) Gonorrhea, Clamydia, HPV, Syphylis and even HIV can cause a vaginal smell. In some cases, a foul vaginal smell may be accompanied by other symptoms such as an abnormal discharge or itching/discomfort also caused by the STD, or the smell could present by itself.
