Michael Douglas may be a cunning linguist, but is he a master debater, and was he right
?
Yes … but not completely. It’s possible to identify HPV which is closely associated with the type of cancer he had, and acquired by sexual transmission ( cunnilingus in his case ). However, other factors are significant ( smoking, alcohol excess, “ recreational drugs “, and age over 60 ) … all decreasing immunity and increasing the chance of throat cancer.
He’s WRONG, in my opinion, to imply incompetence by “ a series of specialists ( who ) missed the tumour “, prescribing antibiotics, until “ a friend’s doctor “ spotted the tumour “ that no other doctor had seen “. This is a RARE cancer ( 1 out of 50 ) and hard to diagnose because other commoner conditions should be considered first. There is also no evidence that cunnilingus could then help cure his cancer.
He is indeed lucky to be alive two years after treatment with drugs and radiation.
HPV is common – most sexually active adults will have been exposed to at least one of the 100(+) variants of HPV. Oral infection in men is commoner ( possibly 1/10 ) than in women. Most such infection is harmless and clears spontaneously.
Persistent infection with high-risk HPV (especially type 16) MAY cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, penis, and ( in MD’s case ) oropharynx / throat. HPV infects epithelium and produces new viral particles in mature epithelial cells. It disrupts normal cell-cycle control, promoting uncontrolled cell division and genetic damage.
Of course, HPV is not the only danger of having unprotected oral sex. Sexually transmitted diseases ( like herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea , chlamydia and even HIV ) can also be spread by this means.
Cervical cancer is FAR commoner than mouth cancer, especially in the Philippines. Almost all cases are caused by HPV ( other factors such as smoking increase risk ). Not only can cervical screening pick up early ( pre-cancerous ) changes in cells, but a vaccine is also available – both in UK and Philippines. It may prevent benign warts ( papillomas ) and cancers. This is the “ quadrivalent “ vaccine ( “ Gardasil “ ) produced by Merck, and recommended for vaccinating teenage girls both in UK and Philippines. Another ( “ bivalent “ ) vaccine ( “ Cervarix “ ) produced by GlaxoSmithKline, protects against cancers alone. Both have recently become MUCH cheaper, thanks to pressure on the companies producing them.
There is a case for recommending HPV vaccination for boys as well as girls. It hasn’t ( yet ) been recommended for boys in UK or Philippines – cervical screening and vaccination of girls are the first priorities. However, Gardasil is being made available free to boys in Australia, and is recommended in the USA. This recognises the fact that oral sex is commoner now, especially in teenagers and young adults. Clearly also gay men can’t benefit from vaccination confined to girls.
One result of Michael Douglas’s oral sex cancer claim is publicity for vaccination against HPV ; hopefully also more awareness that unprotected oral sex does have risks of sexually transmitted diseases and cancers. Whether his wife and family are happy with his surprisingly frank interview and claims in “ The Guardian “ newspaper are another matter.
Quote Reply
Originally Posted by grahamw48
... I MUST say, *that > 
takes some "licking"! 
... put ANOTHER way ... it takes TWO 
to "tango"!
cks
What!! I must have caught it off a lavatory seat!
Well you must have chewed it as the infections in your mouth 
he's had!
