Hi all,

Just joined today, had been thinking of it since the Michael Douglas news.

Long story short, as far as I know, I'm ok. What I write below is a bit, well not graphic, but direct.

A little about me - was single until recently, before that dated quite a few women, and had sex with most of them. I would say that they were all very respectable women and 'clean', but from a place that does not observe condom use like many countries.

One of them, my ex-gf of 10 years, we broke up over 10 years ago or so, well a few months later she called me from overseas that she had HPV. As it was a long relationship with many ups and downs, and she had finally got the courage to end it (and move away), there was not much talk about this. I have no idea how she's been affected. I tried but she won't talk to me. Probably because I tried to get back with her and marry her, but she had already moved on.

Flash forward to 3 years later. I started dating a lady (for ease of conversation and out of respect for her privacy let's call her GF2, then *I* moved away. We stopped dating of course, but a year or so later she came to visit me, and we'd see each other here or back home a couple of times a year.

Flash forward to about 2.5 years ago. She developed cervical cancer and had to have part of her cervix cut. She's ok now with no remission.

Since then I got married, to another lady.

With GF1 and GF2, I had a long history and a lot of sex, including a lot of oral. A lot, and for long times. Sorry but I said I would be direct above.

So naturally I'm thinking I am the cause for one or both. As I don't know I am not doing this with my wife.

I have no symptoms, but I have high cancer markers (CA 19-9 of 200 last year, it is supposed to be 34), for each year before that they climbed 15 points then nearly doubled the next year then nearly doubled the year then the next year was another 20-39 points higher. After MANY tests nothing was found.

I often feel like there is a collection of phlegm way down my neck, usually in the morning, sometimes other times. I try to expectorate it, but only some ever comes out.

From all I read, there's no real test for men. So I have no idea what I have, if I can infect my new wife, if my cancer marker is due to this (oral cancer was not checked, didn't occur to me at the time), or what to do.

So I came to this forum.

Welcome. By age 25, 90 percent of the population have been exposed to HPV. There are over 150 types, and 14 that are high risk that can transform to cancer, and is mainly HPV-16 in the head and neck ,and that is 90% of the time in the oropharyngea, mainly tonsil, and base of tongue, 90% of the time also. It's pretty rare to have this cancer, maybe in 1% of the population exposed to the HPV virus, which most people's immune system fights in two years, maybe more in men.

The Cancer Antigen test, Ca-19-9, is for pancreatic cancer or it's recurrence and have not heard of it being used for head and neck cancer. However, I heard Ca-125, mainly for colorectal cancer, being used to monitor recurrence of head and neck cancer, and after it's surgery, and had several included with my blood work through the years. There is also a squamous cell carcinoma antigen test, 90% of HNC are SCC, which test should not be relied on solely, and don't know ayone that has had it, to my knowledge. Anyway, none of these tests are 100% and have other variables. The only thing that can prove cancer is a biopsy.

I don't know your age, but if under 26, and anyome in your family from age 9 can get the HPV vaccine.

If you want to have some peace of mind, have a full physical examination, complete blood work, including std's, and see an ENT. Your symptoms can be caused by hundreds of reasons, and could be something minor.

Good luck.

Kyle, this link may be something that will assist you in finding info about HPV.

HPV info from main OCF pages

Besides the link, I dont know how much you really need our forum. Our focus is helping oral cancer patients and caregivers.

Kyle,

You need to read up on HPV. The VAST majority of "respectable and clean" women as you put it, have been exposed to HPV and women and men constantly pass the virus back and forth. BTW the virus that attacks respectable and clean women is the same that attacks unrespectable and dirty women and please keep in mind that most got the virus from us.

80% of adult population has been exposed to HPV - you can catch it from your first sexual encounter. It doesn't mean the other person has slept around either or you for that matter. You could have been with the same person for 40 years and still have it. All it would require would be for your partner to have had sex once with someone else who had it.Re the oral connection too. While I appreciate Michael Douglas standing up and bringing attention to the cause (I am not an HPV+ oral cancer sufferer - either - my cancer had no known cause) His correlation and then retraction of it's connection to specifically oral cancer was wrong. Truthfully - any kind of sexual contact can predispose you to HPV. It doesn't have to be specifically ORAL.

Unfortunately some of the general population doesn't educate themselves they just assume the stars know it all.

Anyway... You may be HPV positive, but you may not have the strain that can turn cancerous. Your girl friends may have caught it before you, or after you. Unless they were virgins when they met you and abstinent after.

As for your own health - if you notice any unusual symptoms - swollen nodes? difficulty swallowing? Inflamed tonsils? Mouth sores that don't heal?

Then go to the dr. - other than that protect yourself. On this I am not sure how as I am under the impression that if your partner has an open sore it would be wisest not to have sex - even protected - depending on where the sore is located. Since I am not sure whether standard protection protects... if you get my drift. I mean a condom only covers a certain area... right? If the sore is elsewhere then you run the potential of being exposed.

Do some homework. Educate yourself so you can make wise choices - ;o)

have a great day.

All - thanks very much for your carefully considered posts. And yes, it may appear that I am in the wrong forum.

I may never know if my ex-GF developed anything, and the GF from a few years back, well, I know I was the only one with her for a long time, but I suppose no way to know if what she had, had anything to do with me.

I'm i my 50s BTW.