>> Now to a health alert 10’s of thousands of people will be diagnosed with
throat cancer this year and has
nothing to do
with smoking.
>> There is another reason more
and more younger patients are
being diagnosed. HPV the human
papilloma virus.
It’s transmitted sexually and
many never even realized that
it can cause throat cancer or
that they’ve been exposed until
it’s too late.
There is a vaccine. But
Floridians lag behind the rest
of the country and actually
getting
that vaccine. Doctor Russell
Smith is the head and neck
oncology surgeon with that to
Sandy Anderson here to explain
more about good morning.
Thank you for being here do
appreciate it so if we could
dock first begin with HPV you
know women who go to and have
their annual exam with BG why
and they hear frequently about
HPV in terms of its connection
to cervical cancer. But a lot
of people don’t realize they
can also cause throat cancer.
Prevalent is HPV within
our community.
>> So it’s estimated that
probably 90% of the population
is exposed to HPV sometime
during their life. So it’s a
very very
come buyers.
>> and and that’s and we talked
about the fact that it’s
actually transmitted that we
talking even as something as
seemingly benign as can be
spread through kissing his
example.
>> It’s thought that any type
of contact where there’s an
exposure to the virus and so
kissing would be another
alternative pathway that people
could get the virus.
>> And so is there a drew age
group in particular that you
are seeing through you know
your work. And then also men
women more prevalent one of the
other.
typically we think about having
a cancer affecting people that
are in their 50’s to the 70’s.
But for people that have HPV
needed cancer. The test
occurred younger and so we’re
seeing people in their 30’s
40’s and 50’s to come in with
cancer. The typically come in
because they have a one to
their neck.
>> And so it’s
at the base of the tongue where
exactly do you most frequently
didn’t see it.
>> So the part of our throat
that’s called the oral fair
access where the tonsils and
the base of tongue are located.
And those are the 2 sides seem
to be the most affected by HPV
in regards to people developing
cancer and it’s interesting
because with HPV and correct me
if I’m wrong you could have
been exposed. Let’s say.
>> 20 years ago but not have
any idea until all of a sudden
like you said you have a lump
in
your throat.
>> That’s thought that probably
there’s at least a 2 to 3
decades latency between when
people were infected. And then
when they start to develop
cancer.
>> OK so then that said it are
there some warning signs other
than just a you know a lump in
the throat
with the hopes that you are
able to maybe catch it before
the
lump develops.
>> So most people don’t have
throat symptoms and so as they
come in though this have a lump
in the neck.
And you’ll say do you have
anything going on your throat
and said no no trouble
swallowing no pain no
soreness nothing and then we’ll
look there be an obvious tumor
in the throat that actually was
the source of the they have a
normal life the that maybe
could have been growing for a
while and didn’t even realize
it was there could there be
like sore throat or maybe an
ear ache or something
associated with it officially
people will have symptoms of
this route.
>> And though they’ll have
little trouble swallowing
little soreness but she’s a
pretty minor and the kind of
bullet office just been a
common cold or something like
that OK so then that gets us
back to the fact that you hear
about the severity of throw can
turn any kind of cancer.
>> And the reality is is that
there is a vaccine for HPV I
know that my pediatrician talks
to me about every time I take
the kids for their annual
visit.
>> That said. I remember when
the HPV virus that vaccine came
out there’s a lot of kind of
controversy about the parents
just were nervous about this
but this is this a
direct link to the fact that if
you get this vaccine, you could
prevent getting through cancer
later it’s such an important
health issue because we really
could prevent HPV related
cancers but this happen when
everyone get vaccinated.
>> And the vaccine safe.
It’s easy to administer people
do well with it
and so we can really eliminate
a form of cancer if we can get
everyone Baxley is there a
certain age that I mean I
talked about pediatricians or
another usually telling me I
think when my kids were about
11 or 12. So you get older, so
So right now the age range is
actually the from the age of 9
to 45. If we think about though
preventing the risk of cancer.
It’s really if you can get
into preteens if they get back
says a preteen that really
eliminates the chance that they
had an exposure to high-risk
HPV virus
and with that being the case it
gives them the best chance of
preventing them from developing
the cancer because once you’ve
been exposed the vaccine’s not
going to do any good is all
right so once you develop the
exposure and if the virus has
gotten into your cells. The
vaccine will get rid of the
virus at that point so just
because maybe you’ve been
exposed to HPV does that mean
that you’re definitely going to
throw can serve though with all
this being exposed many of us
haven’t been vaccinated
in our body does a good job in
most cases of clearing the
virus. But some people they
become kind of chronically
infected. The virus just sets
in the cells and eventually it
will turn into a cancer cell
sits there and grows which is
why it’s important don’t ignore
any kind of sign if you’re
having trouble swallowing or
give us notice a lump or
something in your throat.