Oral cancer can happen to anyone and a lot of factors can increase the likelihood of developing diseases that can trigger or result to cancer. Age has a big role in developing oral cancer as the older you get, the more susceptible you are to develop oral cancer. Men are also more likely to be at risk than their women counterparts. The most common type of strain that is silently killing men is the HPV infection.
Human papilloma viruses are well-known cause of warts; but there are also high-risk strains of the virus that cause cancer. The genital HPV and mouth HPV affect different areas of the body. This is also a leading cause of developing cervical cancer for women and a risk factor for the disastrous development of oral and oropharyngeal cancers; as the same strain found in the genitals can affect the mouth and throat. Strong links of HPV and oropharyngeal cancer are proven by studies.
Men are more at risk to these cancers as smoking, heavy alcohol use, and the presence of HPV increase the risk of having head and neck cancers. The organs that are at risk are the larynx, throat, lips, mouth, salivary glands and the nose. HPV alone only triggers a few types of oral cancer but together with these bad oral health habits can increase your risk of developing cancer.
The normal cells of your throat and oral cavity is affected by the HPV infection by making them mutate or turn abnormal. These changes are often unseen and rarely felt. The body’s immune system fights off the infection and in cases where the body doesn’t, visible changes happen to normal cells and cause oropharyngeal cancer. It would take years after catching the HPV infection before it develops to cancer; but there are studies that show how habits and lifestyle choices adding up to the effects of the HPV.
People with oropharyngeal cancer often have a persistent sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, and pain in swallowing. Over many years, some patients show no signs or symptoms at all until the cancer have reached the last stages.
Professionals developed HPV vaccine to prevent genital cancers caused by HPV. This could also help prevent oropharyngeal cancers as the same strains from the genital HPV affect the mouth.
The right information and awareness of the mode of transmission of this disease is very important. The signs and symptoms of oral HPV can help you seek for a recommendation from your dentist and physicians. Your dentists are one of the firsts to determine oral HPV, which makes dental appointments one of the most effective ways of getting diagnosed at an early stage.
Men should do regular dental appointments and quit smoking and alcohol consumption to help manage and prevent the contributing factors of oropharyngeal cancer. Most especially now that cancer proves to be two times more fatal on men than on women.