Cases of human papilloma virus (HPV) have increased among a certain age group, in spite of prior knowledge on the condition.
The health condition can cause throat or oropharyngeal cancer in high-risk cases, though many of the symptoms which indicate this can take years to show.
One of the most well-known causes of this type of cancer is oral sex, as actor Michael Douglas has shared that this was the cause of his stage IV squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer.
The Fatal Attraction actor revealed the diagnosis in 2010, but only revealed that it was caused by HPV three years later, adding that he could remember his doctor's face when a 'walnut-size tumour' was found at the base of his tongue.
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Now cancer-free, Douglas' case is often used as a cautionary tale as experts have explained the main signs and symptoms that you should look out for to identify HPV and stop it from progressing to something more serious.
Symptoms of throat cancer
According to UCI health, these are the common signs you should be looking out for:
- A thickening in the cheek
- A lump on the lip, mouth, neck or throat
- A mouth or lip sore that isn't healing
- A red or white patch found on the gums, tongue, tonsil or mouth lining
- A hoarseness or change in voice
- A persistent sore throat or a feeling that something is stick in your throat
- A numbness of mouth or tongue
- Pain in the jaw or ear
- Pain or bleeding in the mouth
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing
- Chronic bad breath
Less commonly, the NHS reports that you can also experience fatigue or unintentional weight loss.
There are 2,000 new cases of laryngeal (throat) cancer every year in the UK, with instances more common in men over 60.
What have experts said of the rise in throat cancer cases?
It's been reported that the early detection and vaccination for HPV has led to a drop in cervical cancer in US women, but HPV-associated cancer of the tonsils, throat or back of the tongue have skyrocketed in men over the preceding three decades.
Dr. Tjoson Tjoa, a UCI Health otolaryngologist and surgeon who is a head and neck cancer specialist, explained: “What we’re seeing over the last five to 10 years is that the most common head and neck cancer is HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer.”
It was widely believed that men in their 70s and 80s with a history of drinking and smoking were more likely to have oropharyngeal caners, but from 1988 to 2004, it was found that cases in younger men without a history of longtime smoking or drinking had increased by three times.
Dr. Tjoar further highlighted: “In recent years, this practice has become more prevalent in developed areas of the world,
“HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, so much so that nearly all sexually active men and women are exposed to it.”
A new study has found that having over 10 sexual partners can increase the risk of developing throat cancer, with US researchers finding that among over 500 people, people with more sexual partners were more at risk of developing oropharyngeal cancer.
Those with over 10 sexual partners were 4.3 times more likely to develop mouth and throat cancers linked to HPV, while Dr Virginia Drake, study author and otolaryngologist at the John Hopkins University, spoke of how lifestyle habits also play a part.
163 of those polled had HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer.
Which signs can appear decades after exposure?
Many people can get a throat infection from the virus which eventually goes away, but there is the probability that they develop cancer in the throat, tonsils, or tongue.
This can take 20 to 30 years after exposure, in certain cases.
A vaccine to fight HPV was introduced in the US back in 2006, with it being recommended that children take the shot at 11 or 12-years-old, before they become sexually active.
Dr Tjoa explained that people are not making enough of a connection between HPV and throat cancers which were appearing in men and women, decades after being exposed.
The health expert that it is 'potentially completely preventable with vaccination', further claiming: “If 100% of boys were vaccinated before they became sexually active, we wouldn’t have this disease.”
Joshua Nair