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More than 13 lifetime oral partners
Hello Doctor. I consider myself a knowledgeable man. Somehow I missed all the articles linking oral sex to throat cancer. Until reading an article three weeks ago. Now I am devastated. I am ashamed of course. The first three partners were girlfriends. One for three years of oral and regular sex nightly except during her period. The last ten were all sex workers. The last of that was three years ago. So of course I lost track of them. The sex workers had a few dozen partners, mostly traditional sex was with condoms because all but one required me to wear a condom. I would usually start out with maybe five minutes or so giving a gal oral until I ready for traditional. I have educated myself that the cancerous kind of HPV is not in the form of warts. And in the throat. I also read that this type, 16 or 18, is not cleared necessarily but returns. My other worry is that I am 51 years old. Although I prided myself in maintaining great fitness and looking younger than my age, I still think my age factor makes "clearing" HPV likely to take longer.
My situation is off the map. With five oral partners, I would be 2.5 times more likely than a lifetime smoker to get oral cancer. With thirteen oral partners, I would probably be ten or twenty times more likely. Throw in my age and it looks bad.
Up to three weeks ago I felt very healthy and with a positive outlook on my future. Now I am overwhelmed.
I won't be kissing or having sex in my future. I may be a carrier.
I will get a complete STD blood test in two weeks, along with a physical. I see two questionable bumos on my penis below my frenulum, but they don't seem to follow the descriptions of warts. I will have my semi-annual dental
checkup in two weeks too. I will have my dentist check for oral lesions.
Question: Can you provide me with hope?
My situation is off the map. With five oral partners, I would be 2.5 times more likely than a lifetime smoker to get oral cancer. With thirteen oral partners, I would probably be ten or twenty times more likely. Throw in my age and it looks bad.
Up to three weeks ago I felt very healthy and with a positive outlook on my future. Now I am overwhelmed.
I won't be kissing or having sex in my future. I may be a carrier.
I will get a complete STD blood test in two weeks, along with a physical. I see two questionable bumos on my penis below my frenulum, but they don't seem to follow the descriptions of warts. I will have my semi-annual dental
checkup in two weeks too. I will have my dentist check for oral lesions.
Question: Can you provide me with hope?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Ha! Without getting into my own (past) sexual history or my (current) wine intake, I'll say that I'm probably at a lot higher risk than you are. And I'm for sure not giving up my dinner wines! Not to mention my bedtime manhattans.
It is overt alcoholism that is associated with throat cancer -- as well as with esophageal and stomach cancers, both of which are a lot more common than pharyngeal.
My suggestion is that you simply stop worrying about it. Something's going to kill both of us someday -- and the chance that it's pharyngeal cancer due to HPV is way down on the list of possibilities.
It is overt alcoholism that is associated with throat cancer -- as well as with esophageal and stomach cancers, both of which are a lot more common than pharyngeal.
My suggestion is that you simply stop worrying about it. Something's going to kill both of us someday -- and the chance that it's pharyngeal cancer due to HPV is way down on the list of possibilities.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You're welcome. That's why we're here. Take care.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I would have thought once every 5 years would be adequate for oral cancer check-up. In any case, the risk is low.
I am very skeptical that oral HPV has ever been acquired in the way your doctor suggests.
I am very skeptical that oral HPV has ever been acquired in the way your doctor suggests.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I saw this before I replied above and took it into account in my reply. That's a small number of lifetime oral sex exposures by today's standards.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. There has been a lot of media attention to these issues in the past few years, some of it quite alarming. But you are overreacting in a big way. Your sexual history does not put you at any significant risk of throat cancer, which remains very rare.
As it happens, virtually the identical question was asked 2 days ago. The only HPV strain associated with throat cancer is HPV-16, which is among the most common genital HPV types; at any point in time, a few percent of sexually active people (as a guess, 2-5%) are infected with HPV-16. That means that in the US every year, there are millions and millions of oral sex exposure to those persons. And yet such throat cancers occur in somewhere around 10,000 persons per year -- one of the rarer cancers.
Below is a link to the thread from 2 days ago. In it, there is another link to a discussion that goes into more detail about oral sex, oral HPV, and cancer. You should find both of them reassuring. After you have read both, feel free to return with a succinct follow-up question if there is anything you don't understand.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Throat-cancer-risk/show/1457445
Best regards-- HHH, MD
As it happens, virtually the identical question was asked 2 days ago. The only HPV strain associated with throat cancer is HPV-16, which is among the most common genital HPV types; at any point in time, a few percent of sexually active people (as a guess, 2-5%) are infected with HPV-16. That means that in the US every year, there are millions and millions of oral sex exposure to those persons. And yet such throat cancers occur in somewhere around 10,000 persons per year -- one of the rarer cancers.
Below is a link to the thread from 2 days ago. In it, there is another link to a discussion that goes into more detail about oral sex, oral HPV, and cancer. You should find both of them reassuring. After you have read both, feel free to return with a succinct follow-up question if there is anything you don't understand.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Throat-cancer-risk/show/1457445
Best regards-- HHH, MD
Yeah I found it hard to believe too. Also, by the way, all my blood tests were negative for STDs. Thank you for The forum here. I learned a lot from your responses not only to me, but to others.
In case you are Interested, here is my follow-up. Went for my bi-annual dental checkup. Hygienist inspected me for abnormalities, found none. Next I went to a new doctor, educated through Johns Hopkins. He said the bumps on my penis look benign, could be warts. Yet I told him I had no unprotected sex in three years. I got the gist that he did not have any concerns that I may have oral HPV. In fact he said the oral cancer checkup can be once per Year.
Interestingly, he did say that he heard of doctors getting oral warts, from inhaling the fumes when they burn off warts from their patients! Ever hear of that?
Interestingly, he did say that he heard of doctors getting oral warts, from inhaling the fumes when they burn off warts from their patients! Ever hear of that?
Thankyou for your prompt response. Your response and those two links certainly make me feel a little better. Internet media seems to sensationalize things.
In those links you say a majority of oral cancers are in smokers and heavy drinkers. I drank two glasses of wine per night the last three years. Much less before then. I currently have only four servings of alcohol drinks per week. Partly because a little red wine can help prevent alzheimers.
Should I completely stop drinking alcohol, given my potential exposure to HPV-16?
You can ignore my question or ask me to pay in case I misread "feel free." I greatly appreciate your time.
In those links you say a majority of oral cancers are in smokers and heavy drinkers. I drank two glasses of wine per night the last three years. Much less before then. I currently have only four servings of alcohol drinks per week. Partly because a little red wine can help prevent alzheimers.
Should I completely stop drinking alcohol, given my potential exposure to HPV-16?
You can ignore my question or ask me to pay in case I misread "feel free." I greatly appreciate your time.
Me again. As if it makes any difference, I had exactly thirteen lifetime oral partners, not "more than thirteen." but I am so scared that I am concerned the fright itself will affect my health.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
