Can someone please explain the HPV connection to me? My brother has been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tongue. He never smoked and only drunk occasionally. He is 27yrs old.I can't figure out why he would get something like this. Ive read about the HPV virus, but can't figure out if this may possibly be a connection and if there is a connection how do you know?

Depends on the location of the tongue - but it's NOT proven yet to be causally linked if the cancer is on the mobile tongue. There was a recent study published with these outcomes. However, if it is base of the tongue - that is more widely accepted as a possible cause. Like your brother - I was diagnosed at 29 - non-smoker and non-drinker. No cause identified as of yet. My doctors think it is just bad luck or a genetic predisposition or possibly a weaker immune system.

Here's the link to the article: http://diss.kib.ki.se/2005/91-7140-289-6/thesis.pdf

I believe Gail Mac might have originally posted about this.

Amy

If they plan to do surgery, ask them to make sure pathology tests for HPV. Some places do this as a matter of course while others need a request. We had to ask for it. (My husband was also a non-smoker, non-drinker - pathology came back negative for HPV. )

Anita

Anita and all --

You have to make sure that they do the correct test -- there are HPV tests which are non-specific for HPV-16. Others are not as accurate. Frankly, I would want to have the tumor tissue tested at Hopkins or at a pathology lab that uses the same DNA polymerase test. See this web site for information on having tissue tested. They can even use the original pathology slides if necessary.

http://pathology.jhu.edu/labservices/hpv.cfm

Having said this, at the moment HPV status does not change the treatment protocol (same whether HPV+ or HPV-) but does have an effect on prognosis and chance of recurrence.

Gail

Thankyou all for your comments. I know my brother and his wife have not had multiple partners. I suppose my question is can you have this without having someone passing it on to you? I have read that sometimes the HPV virus has no symptoms and is carried by the female. Is that correct? As far as the pathology results go they have already been done. My brother is not into asking many questions and trusts the doctors completely with what they are doing. But, I suppose I like to know more about this than he does!

It is easily carreid by males as well. There are some other minor mechanisms of transmission beling looked at, but the vast majority of people get it through sexual contact. In the US they estimate that as many as 70 % ( this number is quoted differently by different sources running form 50 -80%) of the entire US population will have had HPV at some point in their lives. Thankfully out of the over 100 vaireties of HPV only a handful are capable of producing malignancies. Multiple sexula partners increases risk, but it only takes one....

It is easily carried by males as well. There are some other minor mechanisms of transmission beling looked at, but overwhemingly, the vast majority of people get it through sexual contact. In the US they estimate that as many as 70 % (this number is quoted differently by different sources running from 50 -80%) of the entire US population will have had HPV at some point in their lives. You can see that it is a very ubiquious virus if that many millions of people are going to have it at some point in their lives. Thankfully out of the over 100 vaireties of HPV, only a handful are capable of producing malignancies. Multiple sexula partners increases risk, but it only takes one....

My brother was diagnosed with prostatis prior to his diagnosis of tongue cancer. The doctors said that there seemed to be no connection. Could there be a connection there? I don't know. He had severe lower abdominal pain for about 6 months prior to his diagnosis as well.

I just received a notice from M.D. Anderson that Dr. Erich Sturgis ( one of Brian's contacts ) is conducting a study of the effects of sexual behavior on the risk for head and neck cancer. It contained a questionaire that I filled out and returned.
The study cannot help those of us already dianosed, but may help others in the future. I look forward to the results and conclusions of the study. Perhaps the recently developed vaccines (assuming the religious right does not block their distribution) can prevent these terrible cancers from infecting many people.

Danny G.