Stacie, your husband's biopsy can stil be tested for the HPV virus. My husband's wasn't tested until a couple of months after his surgery.

The reality is most adults have been exposed to the HPV virus. I talked to my GYN about the HPV virus which causes cervical cancer. The way she explained it to me is that quite a few women will have an abnormal pap test in their lifetime. A lot of the time by the time they come back to have the pap test done again their body will have cleared the virus and the test is "normal".

I had an "abnormal" pap test 20 years ago. When I went back to have the pap test done again it was still "abnormal". I had cyrosurgery done and haven't had an abnormal pap test in 20 years.

The HPV virus can lay dormant for years so there is no way of knowing where it came from. I do get a yearly pap test with the HPV screening.

Wanda (47) caregiver to husband John (56) age at diag.(2009)
1-13-09 diagnosed Stage IV BOT SCC (HPV+)
2-12-09 PEG placed, 7-6-09 removed
Cisplatin 7 weeks, 7 weeks (35) IMRT
4-15-09 - treatment completed
8-09,12-09-CT Scans clear, 4-10,6-11-PET Scans clear
4-2013 - HBO (30 dives) tooth extraction
10-2019 - tooth extraction, HBO (10 dives)
11-2019 - Left lateral tongue SCC - Stage 2