#human papillomavirus
Maybe you’ve heard, in a recent interview actor Michael Douglas claimed that his throat cancer was caused by oral sex, something that a lot of people immediately wrote off as “crazy talk”. But, for theInjury-Duty faithfuls, you all might recall an article we published back in August of 2012 titled: “Herpes Isn’t The Only Oral STD You Should Be Concerned About”.
In that article we shared with you that the Human papillomavirusorHPV (a virus proven to be linked to cervical cancer in women) is believe to play a significant roll in the increasing number of people developing oral (mouth/throat) cancer.
So, as much as we’d like to ride Mr. Douglas for being just another aging Hollwywood celeb gone wack-a-doo, he’s actually not saying anything all that nutty (something that the reporter conducting the interview obviously felt when he started laughing after Douglas said what he did). Now, does this mean that his particular case of throat cancer was in fact caused by HPV? We’d obviously have no way of confirming nor denying that claim without seeing the test results for ourselves. But, according to researchers and doctors in the field, is it possible, yes.
This all kind of makes you feel bad for his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) doesn’t it? Because, if she doesn’t have HPV then who… ah you know what, we don’t want to kick up anymore dust for the guy. Here’s the audio clip of Douglas nonchalantly sharing his health news with a reporter (click here). If you’re unable to check out the audio, here’s what he had to say:
“Without getting too specific, this particular cancer is caused by something called HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus.”
Well, to all the fellas who have been looking for that ironclad excuse to not go downtown… this one might buy you some time.
“Some of y’all wont have sex without a condom. That’s good. But you’ll gladly go down on somebody? See…I don’t get it. Because now, you done ATE the disease.”
-Unknown Comedian
Get this, despite the recent drop in use of tobacco products, oral cancers (which include cancers of the tongue, tonsils and the back of the throat) are on the rise. This is a little surprising, because use of tobacco products has been the #1 cause of these cancers for a while now.
What’s behind the rise? The Human papillomavirus or HPV (a virus proven to be linked to cervical cancer in women). Yup, many scientists now believe that the growing popularity/practice of oral sex is behind the jump in the number of people developing oral cancer.
Steven Gill, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology and a scientist in the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center School of Medicine and Dentistry in Up-State New York is the man behind some of the current research being done and he had this to say:
“It’s possible that pockets of gum inflammation and tissue destruction in the mouth provide a reservoir for HPV, which the virus uses to infect nearby tissue. Other teams are studying the link as well. Recently in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology, scientists describe a possible association between oral inflammatory disease – chronic periodontitis or gum disease – and HPV infection in patients with head and neck cancers.”
Foul Mouthed: We’re not trying to ruin your next kiss, but here is a not-so-cool-party-fact: There are more than 800 types of bacteria living in the space between your lips and your throat. And that’s no typo. 800. But here’s the thing, they’re actually not allbad. In fact, most of them are there keeping other potentially dangerous bacteria “in-check”.
What To Do About It: Researchers are in the middle of taking a closer look at the bacteria in the mouths of those with oral cancers and comparing the findings with the “healthier” mouths of those without oral cancer. The goal is to hopefully find which bacteria may actually play a role in the development of some types of cancer.
Now, we’re going to say this, even though most of you will likely ignore it: Dental Dam. Read about it, use it (…we figured we’d at least try). In the mean time Dr. Steven Gill, Ph.D., stresses the importance of preventing oral inflammatory disease as a key way for helping to prevent an HPV infection of your mouth. Brushing and flossing your grill regularly, are easy steps to fight gum disease and increase the likelihood that the HPV virus doesn’t have any easy openings to sneak in through, and that the “good bacteria” aren’t overtaken by the “bad ones” in your mouth and throat.
So, get to scrubbin’ before you get to lovin’!
While I was at Planned Parenthood getting my IUD replaced, I decided to get a full panel of STI testing.
This is important, you must always ask what exactly they will be testing for. A lot of the time they will just test you for certain things and not everything. For bacterial infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis you can do a urine test or a swab. Since I was already getting a pelvic exam they went ahead and took swabs of the vagina, vulva, and anus. If you have oral and anal sex the full genital and anal swabs are important because you can get the infection there as well. They can also take a throat swab because yes you can get STIs there as well.
For HIV and Hepatitis you’ll need a blood test. Before blood and urine tests it’s a good idea to get properly hydrated, it’ll make both tests easier. If you’re dehydrated not only is it more difficult to pee, it can be more difficult to draw blood. Let the person know if you have difficult veins.
You’ll notice that both Herpes and HPV aren’t on this list. That’s because there is no standard test for them really. You can get a blood test for herpes although it doesn’t always show. The most accurate test is to get a swab of a sore, but if you don’t have a sore present you can’t really do that. With HPV the only routine test is a pap smear and of course that only works for cervical or vaginal cancer. For everything else you pretty much have to wait till you show symptoms.
When it comes to parasites like pubic lice or scabies, a simple exam is all you need. If you are sexually active you may want to ask to be tested for Trichomoniasis, a lesser known STI that can also be tested with a swab.
Usually the doctor will get the results in a week or so. If they don’t get in touch after that you can always call and check.
For more info:
Actually, there are molecular tests for herpes and HPV that can be performed when you get your pap smear. I’m not sure how widespread the molecular testing is, but it’s definitely out there and a viable option. HPV testing in particular is vital when assessing precancerous lesions on the cervix. Many times the clinician will only want to test for HPV 16 and 18, as they are most commonly indicated in cases of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and cervical adenocarcinoma. However, there are other options available, such as only testing for high risk strains of HPV or testing for any strain of HPV.
As an aside, trichomoniasis can also be detected in a Pap smear, although you may want to get a molecular test performed, especially if you’re only going to get checked for STIs and not your Pap smear.
Thank you for pointing this out!
Molecular testing is still really new and not available in many places. There’s also not a lot of information about it.
From what I can tell it is done through a lumbar fluid sample so it is more invasive. It also usually has to be shipped to a testing facility and it is more on the expensive side. Although scientists and doctors are hoping it can become more used it seems to mostly be used in medical research like in finding the connection between HSV and HPV with other conditions.
If anyone has any more resources on the subjects please send them my way!
