HPV and throat cancer in men? What’s the scoop on that?

By the way, I shouldn’t necessarily say just “men” here because HPV can cause throat cancer in anyone. The reason I wrote “men” is because most people only associate HPV, the most common sexually transmitted disease, as a virus that can cause cancer in women. Particularly cervical cancer. That’s why it’s so important for women to get pap smears to detect it early AND follow up if a pap smear is abnormal. So people are used to hearing about HPV and cervical cancer, but many people don’t know that the fastest rate of new cases of HPV-related cancer is throat cancer.

In a recent episode of Causes or Cures, I chatted with Dr. Andrew Sikora about the link between HPV and throat cancers in men. During the episode, he discusses the types of cancers HPV causes in men, risk factors, signs and symptoms, how it is treated once diagnosed, and prognosis after treatment. He will also talk about prevention and the HPV vaccine, which I know some folks are skeptical about. (At the end of the day, my belief is that it’s each person’s choice whether to get the HPV vaccine or not.)

Dr. Sikora is professor and director of Research in the Department of Head and Neck surgery at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the Co-Deputy Division Head for Research in the Division of Surgery at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. His clinical expertise is in throat cancer and HPV-related head and neck cancers and his research focuses on tumor immunology and immunotherapies for cancer. You can learn more about him here.

I was excited to have him on the podcast and hopefully there are a few tidbits you’ll find helpful.

After you listen to the episode on HPV and throat cancer in men, please check out some of the other episodes:

I recently did a fascinating episode with a filmmaker about what happened when the US tried universal healthcare for kidney disease. And I want you to listen to this one! It has everything- good faith, corruption, mixed motives, the best of human nature, the worst of human nature– and you can read more about it and listen to it here. 

Also, and since we are an aging population and most of us know someone impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease, this is a cool podcast I did with a researcher on how a protein in the brain may hold the secret to keeping someone from developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s cool, nerdy stuff, but also really timely given the state of the western world’s population. You can read more about it and listen to the podcast here. 

A clip on my Youtube channel (that I really need to update more) from the HPV and throat cancer in men episode:

Thanks for reading and/or watching and/or listening. :)

Hope to see you on my Blooming Wellness Facebook Page, where there’s been a lot of fun interactions lately! :)