For those too delicate to hear Michael Douglas: HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer

[sinkingfeeling]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV-positive_oropharyngeal_cancer

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) also known as HPV16+ oropharyngeal cancer or HPV+ OPC is a recognized subtype of Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC),[1][2][3] associated with the HPV type 16 virus.

A prospective study has found that increased HPV+ OPC risk was observed more than 15 years after HPV exposure,[4] pointing to a slow development of the disease, like in cervical cancer.

The tonsils epithelia (palatine and lingual) share similar nonkeratinization characteristic with the cervix, where HPV infection play the major role in cases of cervical cancer.[6][14]

[WinkyDink]

1. He's recanting.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Doesn't matter. HPV induced cancer does happen as a result of oral sex.

[leftyohiolib]

4. due to backlash probably - nt

[graham4anything]

2. Everyone(boys/girls) should get the Gardasil vaccine.Which can prevent this.

[Puzzledtraveller]

7. I agree

[hlthe2b]

5. I agree with you that this is something that needs to be discussed frankly and fully...

leaving all the innuendo and childish euphemisms out of it. Saving lives is the issue and like any viral disease, the mechanism of spread should be discussed.


That said, I was horrified to see that that "celebrity" rag, TMZ had confronted Douglas' ex-wife to demand to know if SHE was infected. It is this kind of ugly intrusive and stigmatizing behavior that ought to be condemned by any and all of us.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. I wish I could rec your post. There are some aspects of a person's life that should remain private,

even if they are celebrities.

[Sheldon Cooper]

8. That is the reason why I reacted so strongly to the original post on this a few days ago.

I am aware that HPV can cause cancers, but I was suprised to hear Douglas talking about it so frankly. I felt bad for his wife because the article implied that he got it from her. To me that is a breach of privacy that no amount of information-sharing can justify. If you're saying that those sleazy tabloids implied that it came from his ex-wife instead, that is just as bad.

[hlthe2b]

9. Heavens... Douglas never had a reputation for monogamy, so I never thought of either

ex-wife or current... Frankly, I didn't give the "who" any thought at all. It is a damned virus, after all... Anyone could be infected or a carrier.

And, no, TMZ didn't 'imply'.... they accosted his ex-wife and essentially demanded an answer.

[question everything]

10. Unfortunately, one comment leads to another, or, at least, implies

According to the original account he was asked whether his smoking and/or drinking caused his cancer. I suppose he could have just brushed the question aside but he chose to provide the truth. And, you know, he probably provided a public service to alert many to the fact that HPV can be acquired via oral (and anal) sex. The "common wisdom" has been that oral sex can prevent pregnancy and STD.

It also shows that men, too, should get the HPV vaccine.

Once he came out, it would naturally lead to the conclusion that his partner had it too. Most naturally his wife.

I don't know how she reacted to these rude questions. I hope that kept a stiff upper lip and just sailed through. Or punched the reporter if he insisted.

This is the problem of implication. When many gays were still in the closet, admitting that one had AIDS immediately revealed that the person was gay. For young girls, at least in previous generations - telling the parents that she was pregnant revealed that she was also sexually active. Unless she was raped.

Sigh