Contents:
- Medical Video: HPV Causing Cancer In Men
- Overview of HPV
- Why can the HPV virus cause throat cancer?
- How to prevent transmission of oral HPV
Medical Video: HPV Causing Cancer In Men
The HPV virus does not only cause cervical cancer in women, but can also cause throat cancer in men. This condition is also often called oral HPV. So, how can the HPV virus that usually infects the genital area attack the throat? Here's the explanation.
Overview of HPV
Human papilloma virus or HPV is a virus known as the cause of cervical cancer (cervical cancer) in women.
HPV itself is known as one of the causes of various venereal diseases. Most infections often do not cause symptoms and can disappear by themselves with excellent immunity. However, not a few of these viruses eventually cause cancer in the throat, mouth, anus, penis, cervix, vagina and vulva, and the upper respiratory tract.
The main transmission of HPV is certainly from unprotected sexual relations, for example without condoms or the result of overexposure to sexual partners.
Why can the HPV virus cause throat cancer?
Although it has received the title as the main cause of cervical cancer in women, many people do not know if this virus is also a cause of throat cancer in men.
Yes, actually men have a higher chance of experiencing oral HPV when having oral sex with a partner infected with HPV. In fact, about one in nine men allegedly had mouth infections due to the HPV virus because of oral sex.
Meanwhile, a recent study found that there were around 11 million men and 3.2 million women aged 28-69 years experiencing oral HPV infection. From the study shows that the number of men affected by oral HPV is three times more than women.
This should make people aware that the HPV vaccine is not only needed by women to prevent cervical cancer, but men also really need it to avoid throat cancer.
So, because of the importance of the HPV vaccine, the World Health Organization aka WHO recommends that this vaccine has started to be given to children aged 11-12 years. At that age, children are not sexually active, so the HPV vaccine is effective enough to ward off transmission of venereal disease, cervical cancer, and throat cancer in the future.
According to Dr. Erich Sturgis, a researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, United States, said that this study revealed the need to prevent the spread of the HPV virus by maximizing HPV immunization in adolescents and young adults.
How to prevent transmission of oral HPV
Apart from relying on the HPV vaccine, there are a number of things you can do to avoid transmission of oral HPV, namely:
- Avoid transmission of venereal disease, by having safe sexual intercourse. Use condoms every time you have sex with a partner. The use of dental dam in women while having oral sex can also prevent transmission of this virus.
- Make sure if you know the background and health of your partner, before having sexual relations. So, it's safer not to change partners during sex.
- If you are sexually active, it is better to do a routine check to find out if you have contracted a venereal disease. Because, many venereal diseases that do not cause symptoms at the beginning.
- Perform routine checks to the dentist to check oral health.
