At 39, like many men in Generation X, I was diagnosed with an HPV-related neck cancer,a cancer that is significantly increasing for our generation as unlike children today, we were not vaccinated for it.
The scary thing is that although I had four of the key symptoms and went to various doctors five times over the space of 18 months, it was never picked up and diagnosed.
The warning signs and key symptoms are:-
Persistent lump on neck Persistent earache on one side Swelling or lump in the mouth Chronic sore throat Difficult or painful swallowing Change in voice
HPV is usually acquired when young. It lies dormant and the oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer, is diagnosed decades later.
Traditionally, cancers of the head and neck were linked to alcohol or smoking, and these non-HPV cancers tended to be located at the front of the mouth and voice box. HPV-related cancers usually originate in the back of the mouth near the tonsils or back-of-tongue cancers which makes the tumors hard to find.
“The risk of getting this cancer is strongly related to when you were born. If you are currently a 40- to 45-year-old man, your risk of getting this cancer is dramatically higher than a 40- to 45-year-old man three or four decades ago,” Dr L Gillison of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Most people who get HPV do not develop cancer, however the related cancers from it are increasing dramatically for men of our generation. Perhaps because today’s Gen X man has had more sexual partners and has engaged in more oral sex than previous generations and this significantly raises the risk of HPV related head and neck cancers.
The more partners you have, the greater your risk.
What can be done? For children, it’s just a matter of getting the HPV vaccine as part of the National Vaccination Program, but for our generation it’s a little bit tricky. It is critical to watch out for the symptoms and to NOT be like me and be complacent with your doctor. Insist they treat your symptoms seriously as cancer is something that needs to be investigated quickly and thoroughly.
Doctors are guilty of assuming that an enlarged lymph node is the result of an infection, sinus issues, oral thrush or reflux when it in fact could be cancer. In my situation, I was given antibiotics and a nasal spray and was not diagnosed until 18 months after I had first started visiting the doctor, by which time the tumor had grown to 4 cm x 3 cm. Three operations later, I am now in the process of radiation treatment to ensure I get to live to tell the story to my children.
Finding the disease in its early stages, like many cancers is the key as when diagnosed early, HPV cancers are very survivable.
Of course like most cancers HPV cancers although on the rise are still very uncommon. So don’t panic, just be aware.