Men\'s Health Singapore - June 2017

HPV infections.
Order Glyde dental dams,
which are cleared by the US FDA,
to reduce infection risk. A cut-up
condom or even a piece of
plastic wrap can also work, says
Stephanie Marhefka of the
University of South Florida
Department of Community and
Family Health.

GET THE VACCINE
You’ve seen the scary
commercials – young boys and
girls grow up and develop cancer
because their dumb parents
failed to take them to the doctor
for the HPV vaccine. Even
though this vaccine is
recommended for all kids at age
11 or 12, only 28 percent of
teenage boys have completed
the three-dose series, according
to recent CDC numbers. Step it
up, dads!
What’s more, the vaccine,
which boosts immunity to nine
strains of HPV, isn’t just for
kids. Most private insurers cover
the HPV vaccine for men up to
age 26.
Even if you’re older than that,
the vaccine might be worth

paying cash for. “If you can

afford it, it’s worth it,” says Dr

Stephen Goldstone of the Icahn

School of Medicine at Mount

Sinai Hospital.

Here’s why: If you’ve had only

a few sex partners, there’s a

good chance you aren’t infected

with all nine cancer-causing

strains covered by the shot, he

says. That makes the vaccine

an especially smart choice

for, say, newly divorced guys

back on the dating scene. After

all, the cancer risk from HPV

can multiply.

In a study in the journal

Preventive Medicine, men

who had a cancer suspected

to be linked to HPV had an

increased risk of a second HPV-

associated cancer in the years

that followed.

OPEN UP TO YOUR DENTIST

Four times as many men develop

HPV-related oropharyngeal

cancers as women. That’s

because men seem to have a

harder time clearing oral HPV

infections than women do,

research shows.

So make sure your dentist

does a cancer screening at

every visit. Dentists are trained

to examine the soft tissues

both inside and outside the

mouth, and can identify

suspicious lesions and refer

you for a biopsy if necessary,

says Katharine Ciarrocca of the

Dental College of Georgia.

In addition, watch for signs on

your own, like a persistent sore

throat, trouble swallowing,

hoarseness, ear pain, enlarged

lymph nodes or unexplained

weight loss.

People with HPV-related oral

cancers have better survival

rates than those with non-HPV

oral cancers, especially if they’re

caught early.

“Mary,” a single woman in her

30s, visited her gynaecologist

last year for a regular exam. A

few days later, she learned that

she had HPV-16, a strain linked

to cervical cancer. “Even though

HPV is common, I don’t want it,”

she says. She compares it to a

cold – sure, it’s “normal,” but

when you’re sick in bed, you wish

you hadn’t caught it or spread it.

Further testing revealed that

Mary’s risk of cervical cancer is

relatively low. The infection may

even clear on its own. Until her

next test, she faces a dilemma:

Should she tell future partners

she has HPV?

Mary’s doctor says no. She

might not transmit HPV, and

even if she does, her partner

might clear it quickly. About

half of HPV infections clear

spontaneously within six months,

and most are gone in two years.

Maybe. “It’s still debatable

whether we clear it or just

suppress it, like herpes,” says

Dr Goldstone.

But the idea of keeping her

HPV a secret doesn’t sit well with

Mary. If your partner had this

virus, would you want to know?

If you were infected, would you

tell? Discuss it with your partner.

HER HPV DILEMMA

HOW HPV

CAUSES CANCER

The virus infects

and manipulates cells.

Now damaged cells

that would stop

dividing and auto-

destruct in other

circumstances can

instead live on. As

these cells grow

unchecked, a tumour

forms.

rticle enters

elicate epithelial cells that

line the back of your throat.

The particle travels to the cell’s

nucleus, which houses its DNA.

The HPV’s DNA integrates

into the infected cell’s DNA.

The DNA spurs production of

harmful proteins, including

two called E6 and E7. This

duo degrades and inhibits key

cancer-preventing proteins.

The HPV virus particl

the delicate

l

HOST

DNA

HPV

DNA

HPV

VIRUS

NUCLEUS

1

2 3

4

CANCER CELL

E6

E7

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JUNE 2017 39