Oropharyngeal cancers are usually found in the rear one-third of the tongue or the tonsils. And most victims are male.
Some doctors contend the popularity of oral sex in the wake of the sexual revolution which started in the 1960s spread HPV to more people’s mouths and throats.
Matthew Magarey, M.D., who specializes in cancer surgery of the sino-nasal cavity, oral cavity, oropharynx and larynx, salivary glands and thyroid, has closely monitored this worrying trend.
“It’s an international phenomenon,” the U.S.-trained surgeon, now working in Melbourne, Australia, tells Newsmax Health. “More HPV-related throat cancers are occurring in people between 40 and 60.”
He notes that HPV can also be transmitted through kissing or even handshakes, in some cases. And the virus is very common.
“As many as 80 percent of adults have had some sort of HPV infection. There are more than 100 strains of the virus, most symptomless with many people clear of the virus within a few months,” he explains.
“HPV in the throat can take 30 to 40 years to turn into a cancer, when it does.”
The good news? “Treatments are getting better and there’s a high survival rate if it’s found early,” he says.
Dr. Magarey uses robotic surgery to remove the cancers, which typically requires a hospitalization of a few days.
Before robotic surgery, hospital stays were longer, varying considerably depending on patients’ progress. Robotic surgery has helped surgeons remove cancers more precisely and in less time. “This reduced long-term recovery problems such as difficulty eating, drinking and swallowing,” Dr. Magarey notes.
He uses the robotic technique on patients at the University of Melbourne-linked Peter McCallum Cancer Centre and is one of the city’s few surgeons trained in the method.
According to Dr Magarey, the most common first sign of throat cancer is a lump in the neck that persists longer than two or three weeks.
Other symptoms include sore throats for longer than a few weeks and difficulty swallowing.
“If you have these symptoms, see your doctor and get a referral to a qualified surgeon who can properly examine the throat,” he advises. “Just looking in the mouth isn’t enough.”
Article Appeared @http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/michael-douglas-sex-cancer/2015/10/21/id/697374/