HPV causing oral cancers in men; vaccine urged for boys

[WhiteTara]

Source: USA Today

HPV causing oral cancers in men; vaccine urged for boys

Human papillomavirus, the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, is also a major cause of oral cancer in men, according to a new study being reported by the Associated Press.

The rise in cancers of the mouth and upper throat is probably the result of an increase in oral sex and a decrease in smoking. HPV now causes as many oral cancers as tobacco and alcohol.

As a result, there's a push to vaccinate boys with the only HPV vaccine on the market, which is targeted at girls and young women. Merck & Co. is planning to seek federal approval this year for cross-use of Gardasil to block infection, AP writes. Every year, nearly 12,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer.

"We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said Dr. Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University, a co-author. The study, published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reviewed more than 30 years of National Cancer Institute data on oral cancers covering 46,000 cases.

In related research, Penn State University scientists report that cigarette smoke may aggravate HPV and raise the risk of cervical cancer.

Read more: http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/02/hpv-causing-ora.html

---

wow, sounds like a marketing ploy. Oh my jaded outlook!

[SnoopDog]

1. Is that from oral sex? Hope not as I talk about sex all the time!

[MidwestTransplant]

8. Watch out, you may grow hair on your palms.

[ingac70]

2. HPV in the mouth can cause oral cancer. n/t.

[ihavenobias]

27. I've read that the strains that cause warts don't increase cancer risk

*IF* that's true, it's still pick your poison, but it's important to point out. And it's an INCREDIBLY common STD. I've seen estimates that suggest as much 3/4 of Americans have been at lest *exposed* to it. Exposed doesn't mean you'll get it, but it's still shocking IMO.

[mzmolly]

3. Yes, and when boys start fainting etc... due to the aluminum adjuvant, it will be chalked up to a

"needle" thing. When they develop "gulf war illness" type symptoms, said symptoms will be dismissed as "coincidence".

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17114826

Oh, and color me "jaded" as well. ;)

[Thor_MN]

7. Wow, the boys must be getting from those nasty girls

I wonder when they are going to start talking about making those egirls get the vaccine... Oh, wait... Nevermind.

[OzarkDem]

22. Your link refers to anthrax vaccine

If you have one that shows research on harmful side effects of aluminum in Guardasil, please post.

[TZ]

26. I can't see the link

but I know what you are referencing. Its some study on SIX MICE with anthrax, a vaccine with known problems with side effects.
This person is ranting about aluminum hydroxide adjuvents, something thats been in MANY vaccines for years. Oh yes, and lets not forget thep THOUSANDS OF TOX STUDIES that have shown this adjuvent is perfectly safe. Its also used in the Hep A and B vaccines and B is a mandated vaccine in many places

[mzmolly]

55. Show me the studies regarding injected aluminum hydroxide that prove they are safe.

Most studies involve vaccines, not the adjuvant. And as we both know, any reaction to a vaccine is a 'coincidence'.

[mzmolly]

54. See my journal, there is much info. The link actually refers to the aluminum adjuvant

used in the anthrax vax and now used in Gardasil.

[NickB79]

68. Hmmm, a fainting spell or having my lower jaw removed due to cancer

Tough choice :sarcasm:

[truthisfreedom]

4. HPV is spread sexually, so both sexes could potentially pick it up from each other orally

So, are women getting oral cancer from HPV as well?

[originalpckelly]

10. Nope! In fact they aren't, as frequently.

Probably the whole difference in anatomy, certain feminine parts are probably better carriers for the HPV than certain male parts.

[YankmeCrankme]

60. That doesn't make sense.

Since males transmit the HPV to women during sex, who contract cervical cancer, they are just as good spreading to women via oral sex performed by women on men.

If there is not a significant increase in oral cancers in females that corresponds to the increase in males than oral sex is probably not a factor in the increase in oral cancer among males.

[thunder rising]

5. This is just GREAT...can't chew tobacco and now can't chew on your honey :-)

[aquart]

6. They just want us to keep our mouths shut.

[JeanGrey]

14. Well, that just SUCKS.

Okay, I couldn't resist. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[awoke_in_2003]

18. I took it a different way:

"The rise in cancers of the mouth and upper throat is probably the result of an increase in oral sex and a decrease in smoking." The way I read it, oral sex is okay as long as I increase my smoking. Or, maybe if you are smoking, you are not engaging in oral sex. But, then again, I am twisted :)

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Easy to joke but HPV is a nightmare to treat. And it kills young women.

And men infected with the worst strains can lose several wives from cervical cancer as each gets infected with the HPV and then develops aggressive cervical cancer and then dies. I know an OB-Gyn who has seen this in his practice. Plus, the lesions on men can be inside the urethra where they can not be seen. And in a woman they can be intravaginal. Or they can be hiding in a skin fold under the thigh. Someplace a condom will do no good at all.

From a public health point of view, if they can cut down the cost of the vaccine and get it to all teens the way they currently get Hepatitis B vaccine to all kids, you would probably prevent a lot of sickness, disability and death in young adults.

Under National Health, it is likely that the government will force the manufacturer to drop their price a lot---another reason why pharmaceutical companies and the medical industrial complex do not want us to get national health.

[Stuart G]

13. A close friend of mine has had oral cancer..

While he is currently in remission, it is hard to treat, and well... painful.(They had to do surgery on his tongue.)
... It is kind of stupid to say, but it is a place you really do not want to go.

[mzmolly]

66. Cervical cancer is highly treatable if caught early thus the rationale for annual paps.

http://cancer.about.com/od/cervicalcancerbasics/a/survivalrates.htm

[NickB79]

69. In a country with 45 million uninsured people

Not everyone has access to annual paps, unfortunately.

[mzmolly]

70. Is the vaccine free now?

I don't believe it is? ;)

[MilesColtrane]

11. It's so worth the risk.

[MarkInLA]

12. Yep, I've already received the Gardasil vaccine (I'm a guy)

HPV is very contagious, even with a condom. Everyone should at least talk with their doc about this.

[otohara]

40. Good To Know, I Was

wondering if it had to be approved first before a doctor would administer to males. I'm calling our doctor on Monday to see if he will administer to my one and only. Thanks for heads up!

[LeftHander]

15. HPV causes pets to get cancer....more vaccine!! HURRY!!! nt

[xchrom]

16. gardasil is a major breakthrough -- the first anticancer vaccine. and it's safe.

recommend

[TZ]

17. No, this has been suspected for years

HPV is a very common STD, and it is far from harmless..something like 80% of the population is infected.
Lets put it this way, if we had a vaccine agaisnt Herpes would you object? (there is one being worked on for chlyamidia btw).
Also in terms of cost...GSK is about to put a competing HPV vaccine out on the market and that will reduce the cost most likely.
As for marketing ploy are you really gonna suggest that PSU , JHU and others are in the pocket of Merck? If so....take off that tin hat. Its blocking the blood circulation to your head.

[OzarkDem]

20. Glad you got into this thread

This is all good news, we should be applauding and encouraging it.

[alarimer]

51. I think right-wingers (and extreme anti-vaccine nuts) DO want people to die

Right-wingers because "this vaccine encourages young people to have sex". Like they need any encouragement.

Anti-vaccine nuts are free riders on the people who do get vaccines but with enough people refusing vaccines (the measles and other mandatory ones) these diseases will once again be widespread.

Without vaccines many of us would have died before age 10.

I will take the small risks associated with vaccines over the possibility of cancer. Good grief. It's a no-brainer. I am not a candidate for that vaccine (being too old for it to do much good) but I would get it if I were.

[mzmolly]

64. I think the pro-drug company nuts DO want people to die.

Without vaccines many of us would have died before age 10.

Yes, just like my Mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother and all of her siblings - DEAD, every one before the age of ten.

Why, I myself died long ago because I only had a few jabs back in the 1960's as opposed to the 50 plus pokes required today.

[OzarkDem]

19. Why should people suffer needlessly? Approve it.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology is very respected journal. Johns Hopkins is one of the top cancer research facilities in the world. This information comes as no surprise.

Research into viruses that cause cancer is still very new and is a promising field for finding ways to prevent cancer. Why would anyone want to discourage scientists from finding out everything they can about which cancers are caused by viruses and which ones could be prevented with anti-viral drugs.

Are we going to ask people to forgo these interventions and die just because the companies that make anti-cancer vaccines will make a profit? Please tell me you're not this much of a Luddite.

Sorry, but this is why our country does research and develops treatments - so we can save peoples lives and eliminate diseases.

[originalpckelly]

21. I know, why didn't they do simultaneous approval processes for all its different uses?

It would be possible to create samples that are independent of one another, run experiments at the same time with different samples to test for different variables. It just pisses me off!

[OzarkDem]

23. Its not just creating samples, its accruing patients

Its a time consuming process. My guess is they picked the population most affected, in this case women with cervical cancer, because it would take less time to gather the data. If you hold off on research and clinical trials while you wait to accrue data from every other type of cancer, it could take much longer.

In a way, its another argument for universal health care. The more people you have in the health care system, the quicker it is to accrue patients and data for research. Some trials take several years to accrue patients.

[TZ]

25. absolutely correct

The biggest hold up in most drug research is finding the correct type and amount of people for these types of trials. ESPECIALLY for the critical first phase, which is the risky part of clinical trials.
My boss is always telling us we need to spread the word to people to participate in clinical trials. I don't think people understand the importance of this, though I can understand the reservations.
For the record, my health excludes me from most trials but I have on record a volunteer form for potential clinical trials in the area that my health suffers....

[OzarkDem]

30. I asked a similar question of one of our local clinicians

who also does research. I think he was concerned I was being critical of the accrual process, so he hedged his answer a bit. But I really am concerned that growing numbers of uninsured people are slowing down research. Increasing costs discourage participation.

IMHO, enacting universal health care reform, coupled with educating the public about the benefits of participation in clinical trials, could really help research move forward quickly. Don't you think this is a valid argument to make on behalf of health care reform?

[TZ]

36. It is but however...

Alot of the trials I am familiar with actually will pay for all the medical costs associated with the trial itself..Thats why most of the participants are pretty desperate people. It doesn't give us a fair look at all the effects with social stata in mind (poor people tend to have poorer health so that can bias the results)
You are right. I think universal health care might make more "middle class" types more willing to participate knowing that parachute is there.
One of the trials I worked on with NIH kept having participants drop out..because they were ending up incarcerated!

[jeanruss]

24. Iran's cable cut

Why is there no news about the cables cut to the internet in Iran? Is this a prelude to war in Iran?

[hisownpetard]

28. Well, maybe because this is a thread about HPV causing oral cancer in males?

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

41. Besides which it is untrue.

There is news on cut cables and no, internet to Iran is not totally cut off. But hey, who are we to block a relevant subthread?

[KamaAina]

53. Huh? Have we weaponized Gardasil somehow?

Is this a prelude to war in Iran?

Possibly the dumbest post so far this year.

Then again, it's only early February. There's still time... :eyes:

[The Wielding Truth]

58. Article did not say cable was cut in Iran.... ??

Indian network operator FLAG Telecom, which owns the cable, said the fiber-optic cable was cut United Arab Emirates and Oman, about 35 miles off Dubai. A repair ship is on its way and should arrive Tuesday. It's expected to take a week to fix.

Net traffic in the region and India was severely disrupted Tuesday when two other cable were cut off Egypt, apparently by a ship's anchor. No word on what damaged the cable off Dubai

[miles 2 go]

29. Whenever I hear VACCINE

I can't help but to think of Rumsfeld and the bird flu vaccine. JUst because he was suppose to have stock in the company making it and stood to make billions, why would I be suspect of new vaccines?

That's what our govt has done to some of us; make us suspicious of everything.

[newburgh]

Bingo! Trusting any of this news exhibits a lack of personal responsibility

to confirm its sources, who paid for the study, who stands to profit from it.

A good place to start would be to read up on Antoin Bechamp. Robert Gallo and Louis Pasteur have a lot in common.

[TZ]

37. Jeezus fucking christ

You obviously understand nothing about vaccine development and/or biology do you?
My company ALSO does Bird flu vaccine, and I can assure you Rumsfeld is not on our board of membership.
This board has so much fucking ignorance of science its not even funny.

[TZ]

38. okay I put you down as a bird flu casualty

and a liver transplant recipient. (hep B).
ANd you can't even get your tinfoil hattery right! It was stock in an Anthrax company (which by the way I used to work for and is laying off people left and right since they make SOOOO much money)
Read about science, stupid

[nodehopper]

59. If memory serves, Rummy also had/has stock in Tamiflu

which, of course, wasn't a bird flu vaccine, but that's probably what they are thinking of.

[uppityperson]

42. Huh, whenever I hear VACCINE I think of smallpox vaccine.

Just because there are problems and just because Big Pharm has been shown to be focused on worshipping the god of the Almighty $$$, it doesn't mean all vaccines are bad. I know what you mean about being suspicious, 'tis a pain to figure out what to believe, either positively or negatively.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kimmerspixelated]

50. That's right! They want us to be so AFRAID of everything.

FEAR<FEAR<FEAR ! RUN SCARED cuz you're gonna catch this. Run scared now, cuz you're gonna catch that...but by GOD, we got a pill or vaccine for all thaT, OR DO YOU JUST WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!!!

[newburgh]

52. Be careful, we have a jesus cursing bigpharma employee on our tails...

we're just so ignorant about biology and science. We need to trust THEM before we trust ourselves. THEY know better...

:hide:

[kestrel91316]

31. Marketing ploy, my ass. Oral cancers are NOTHING to trifle with.

Sounds like vaccinating everybody for HPV wouldn't be a bad idea, IMHO.

[Stuart G]

32. I agree, ...How would you...,,,,,,,,,,

How would you like to be told that you have a cancer in your mouth and you need surgery to have it removed???

If there were a vaccine to prevent it, would you take it???

[kestrel91316]

33. Surgery often CAN'T remove oral tumors. Not without practically

amputating the head. That's why they MUST be prevented.

In my patients they are a virtual death sentence. In humans, they can require MAJOR facial reconstruction.

UGLY, UGLY, deadly disease.

[newburgh]

34. Oral cancer may be nothing to trifle with, but what does that have to do

with the effectiveness or not of a vaccine? And does anyone personally know that this isn't a marketing ploy? Who stands to profit? What are the sources for this information? "Vaccinating everybody" without this information would be a little fascist, no?

Sorry, I have a hard time with illogic.

[TZ]

39. Gee Bush runs Johns Hopkins University? And PSU? And NCI?

This link between HPV and oral cancer has been suspected for a long time now.
Clearly you don't understand LOGIC!
Please read about clinical trials. It is complicated science! It is not throwing shit together like you seem to think.
BTW, its not a sin for a company to make a profit on a POTENTIALLY LIFE SAVING vaccine.
Boy you are ignorant

[miles 2 go]

63. Ahhhhh! The ignore button was made

for you, I see. All you seem to do is to call people names. What the hell is the matter with you? You can't contribute otherwise? People can't state their opinion without getting shit from you?
Ignored.

[LeftishBrit]

49. Indeed...

Anyone who thinks that oral cancer isn't far worse than any vaccine should read John Diamond's account, "C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too." It's quite harrowing reading.

I am glad that there is increasing progress in preventing certain forms of cancer through vaccines.

[YankmeCrankme]

61. The problem is...

if women aren't getting oral cancers, caused by the HPV, from performing oral sex how can you conclude that that is the case with men getting it from HPV while performing oral sex? Women should be getting it in about equal numbers. If they aren't some other factor(s) are probably at work.

Nobody says oral cancers aren't terrible, just that the vaccine would be useless if the oral cancer isn't caused by the HPV.

[mzmolly]

65. Actually, according to one of the lead scientists who developed the vaccine -

An article in the FW Daily News written on March 14, 2007 reported — A lead researcher, Diane M. Harper, who spent 20 years developing the vaccine for humanpapilloma virus states that the HPV vaccine is not for younger girls, and that it is "silly" for states to be mandating it for them.

Not only that, she says it's not been tested for effectiveness in younger girls, and administering the vaccine to girls as young as 9 may not even protect them at all. And, in the worst-case scenario, instead of serving to reduce the numbers of cervical cancers within 25 years, such a vaccination crusade actually could cause the numbers to go up.

http://www.kpcnews.com/articles/2007/03/14/online_features/hpv_vaccine/hpv01.txt

[THUNDER HANDS]

35. and I thought it was bad when my jaw just got tired.

[uppityperson]

43. k&r for continuing work on cancer and vaccines. nt

[emilyg]

44. Yes. K&R

[Phred42]

46. DAMN! Does this mean no more Pie?

HOpe not!

[NoodleBoy]

47. Guys should get the HPV vaccine anyway.

duh.

[Wizard777]

48. This is an odd statement.

"The rise in cancers of the mouth and upper throat is probably the result of an increase in oral sex and a decrease in smoking. "

What are they trying to say here?

1) Smoking can reduce the risk of HPV oral cancer?
2) Oral sex is more dangerous than smoking?

[sendero]

57. They are saying..

... that since cancers caused by smoking have subsided, these cancers have taken the lead.

[Wizard777]

62. I would have never gathered that from that statement.

They appear to be talking about oral and throat cancer as a whole. Not as seperate entities or causalities

[clixtox]

67. My only hope...

is that all of the cannabis I smoke will have some sort of prophylactic or inhibiting effect over those evil viruses, otherwise I am surely doomed.

[mirrera]

56. Fuck them...n/t

[sarcasmo]

71. More $$$$$$ for Merck and Co, imagine.