Caths,
I think it is common for biopsy tissue samples to be kept for several years. So, I would ask that your partners be tested for HPV.

The 2009 NCCN Practice Guidelines for Cancer of the Oropharynx region now recommends HPV testing and just in the last year (or less) a lot of Cancer Centers have geared up to provide HPV testing.

The Center I was treated at didn't have the expertise to do this test until last December and now they are going back and testing the last five years of Oropharynx cases (something to do with supporting a research project).

Since HPV-SCC seems to have a much lower recurrence rate I think knowing (one way or the other)should matter at lot.

Don
TXN2bM0 Stage IVa SCC-Occult Primary
FNA 6/6/08-SCC in node<2cm
PET/CT 6/19/08-SCC in 2nd node<1cm
HiRes CT 6/21/08
Exploratory,Tonsillectomy(benign),Right SND 6/23/08
PEG 7/3/08-11/6/08
35 TomoTherapy 7/16/08-9/04/08 No Chemo
Clear PET/CT 11/15/08, 5/15/09, 5/28/10, 7/8/11