So I want to try and confront this HPV thing head on now that my treatments are coming to a close. I know there are no actual medical treatments but I was wondering what the HPV survivors here do, or have heard about doing, to attempt to force remission as a means of preventing cancer recurrence.

You know I want to do everything I can possibly do to make sure this doesn't happen to me again. I'm sure that everyone here feels the same way. Any ideas, suggestions? I know that there are no guarantees and that cancer can recur no matter what we do, but that doesn't mean I don't want to do all I can to improve my odds ya know.

High anti-oxidant diet?
Immune building?
Should I ask about vaccines?

Thanks for the knowledge

Avoid stress while having oral sex with a person that has HPV.

Avoid stress while french kissing a person with HPV.

Have minimal sexual partners and see above.

No tobacco.

Minimal alcohol.

I certainly do not have the answer since my cancer did come back. Most books and web sites focus on DIET and NUTRITION although since most foods cannot be patented nor need a prescription, no "gold standard" testing is done that would meet medical standards of "proof". But having a good diet and getting lots of exercise is a good idea even if you never had cancer. I had thought the answer was Eat, Pray, Love, but now I'm down to Pray & Love. Working so far.
Hope you don't join the recurrence club
Keep the Faith
Charm

With cancer, unfortunately there is no guarantee that it will not come back again because the damage has already been done. Even with the best possible treatment available as on date, you will be declared "cancer-free" after 5 years. Alternative and natural therapies claim to do so however they are not accompanied by scientific evidence so I would not really recommend them. Problem with cancer cells is that you would not know if the microscopic spread/deposits has already happened elsewhere in the body because no diagnostic technology exists to detect it. While you get treated for local manifestations, you just have to wait and watch for others and that is why this particular disease requires regular followups. Probably in few years from now there maybe a means to detect and cure when researchers are able to identify why it happens. Probably there will be vaccine or methods to teach the body to fight cancer cells itself.

Till then you can just hope for the best and take good care of health to probably delay the recurrence, if it is in store for you in future. Not to demotivate you but it is better to have expectations right rather than getting disappointed.

...umm I don't think I've ever been stressed while performing or recieving oral sex, not sure it's possible...



Eric

Eric being naughty boy here!

I hope David will clarify his statement. I would just like to add that only abstinence can prevent HPV. You can reduce risk by practicing safe sex with a condom and limiting the number of sexual partners you have during your lifetime or having monogamous relationship.

Here is a phase 1 test on a therapeutic HPV vaccine -
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00257738

I think there may be some work on this in Europe, but don't have the time to go digging for it. I am encouraged by the fact that the Swedes are going after this disease pretty hard.

Ok, boys, you can return to the locker room discussion.

Sorry, I was being half cute with my advice.

French kissing is thought to be a delivery method and I don't think that's covered in the abstinence manual. Tongue condom perhaps should be added?

I do think that stress is a contributing factor with HPV+ SCC but that's just my opinion.

Actually, I am suspicious of stress myself. My husband had a LOT of family stress before he got sick. If you look at some of the breast cancer studies, survivors with good social support systems (and presumably less stress) do better than those without these systems. That seems to be why the people in those communities were so incensed by John Edward's treatment of his wife.

I'm also very suspicious of stress as a contributing factor in HPV & SCC. As a young child, my son was abused and sodomized by our Catholic parish priest with long lasting effects which culminated with his being hospitalized for suicidal depression. While he was in treatment for depression, his wife divorced him. And then came SCC. With no other causal factors, for the SCC, IMO all signs point to stress.