Hey, it's super Sunday, so here is a super Question. It's come to my attention that many patients and caregivers are afraid that if they have sex, the caregiver will "catch" the patient's Cancer. It appears to be a conflation of the separate facts that HPV is transmitted sexually and can cause oral cancer into an new ugly Urban Legend.
I have not seen any valid studies showing that our oral cancer is contagious. My wife is cancer free yet we still enjoy the full panoply of sex. I have not read of any documented instances of a patient giving oral cancer to their sexual partner.
The majority of HPV infections are resolved by our immune system without causing oral cancer. Since this is something my doctors never talked about, not even once, I assumed they would have warned my wife and I if there were indeed something to worry about.
With over 7 thousand forum members, if a patient having sex with their caregiver or spouse causes cancer, why haven't we heard even one instance? I submit because while there is plenty to worry about, "catching" oral cancer from your patient is not one of them.
I've been told by a top authority that people do actually think and fear this to the point of marriages breaking up.
So I'm speaking out here.
Charm