I was wondering if anyone has some insight into how quickly the HPV causes cancer? My doctors seem to think that the tumor in my tonsils was there for some time; maybe 4 to 7 years. But I sometimes wonder if I could have contracted it over the past year. When my fiance broke up with me; I started dating 6 months after; probably around last June. Dated a few woman and yes we had sex. So maybe I caught it from them. I talk to my fiance and she is fine as far as pap smears. Also I have never tested positive for it in the genital area. Just curious!!!! I guess I will never know!!

Charles

Resend!!

Even if you knew the exact time and person who gave it to you what would it change?

I answered your PM but your last sentence is most accurate....you will most likely never know.

Charles, you will never know this to a point of certainty and knowing who this was transfer to you by. It could have happened years ago, and it is unlikely that it happened in a very short period of time. To get exposed, to have the virus become established, for the virus to hijack enough cells to form a tumor, for the tumor to grow and all, this is not some 6 month process.

By the by, there is no genital test for HPV of any type for men that is in the common mainstream of tests you could ask for.

I think the only thing worth knowing who is so you could let them know to be careful and let their mates know. Otherwise, it won't help you in anyway.

Please understand that by age 50 appx 80% (and I think that number is way short of actual)of the female population has acquired the virus sometime in their lifetime and a recent study indicates that the first time they acquire it may well be in their teens. There is no current oral test for us males other than post cancer Dx but obviously males are as much a vector for the virus as females so early on we pass it back and forth in many different ways such as kissing, touching and various sexual activities, protected or not. The huge unanswered question is why with such a large pool of people acquiring the virus worldwide do only a small number of people end up with cancer or even warts for that matter. With such a small % of the population ending up with an HPV+ cancer in relation to the number that have acquired it in their lifetime, possibly multiple infections, there is no need to get people to wear buttons or carry cards that say "I'M INFECTED WITH HPV". JM2C's

Irish - take a few minutes to read this page, especially the bottom half. It will help put all this into perspective.

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/HPV/index.htm

Charles,
When my husband was diagnosed, I went through hell thinking that I was responsible for his illness. I had precancerous cells of the cervix 30 years ago (had the colposcopy and cryosurgery) and probably had one of the cancer-implicated HPV viruses, but nobody had ever heard of it back then. I expressed my concerns to a couple of Gordon's doctors who told me that it's impossible to say when/where he acquired the virus. Could have been me, could have been other partners. There's just no way of knowing. It's pointless to agonize about this. The virus is so common (although I'm not sure how common HPV 16 and 18 are) and there are so many other factors that come into play with developing cancer, you could drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out. You're right, you'll never know and it would serve no purpose if you did. I still feel terrible thinking that there is even a remote possibility that I might have given Gordon a virus that led to this dreadful disease.
Anne