A 60-year-old father of two is shocked to find that oral intercourse and the human papillomavirus (HPV) gave him throat cancer.
In November 2023, Frank Lane from Basingstoke, Hampshire, felt a hard lump the size of an egg on the right side of his neck.
He originally believed it was just swollen glands from working out too much.
The HGV driver went to see his doctor after two weeks when the swelling didn’t go down. The doctor told him to have testing right away.
Scans showed that he had throat cancer caused by HPV, which is commonly spread through close contact, like oral sex.
The results of his biopsies show that he may have received the virus as far back as 40 years ago, when he was 20 and entered the army.
Frank was assured that the illness had no signs after months of radiation and treatment.
He is warning people not to disregard strange symptoms and is being checked out every two months.
Throat cancer linked to HPV is becoming more common.
A new study says that HPV may be to blame for up to 70% of head and neck cancer cases, even though most people think that too much drinking and smoking were the main causes of these diseases.
Most people obtain HPV at some point in their lives, but the body normally gets rid of it on its own.
But the virus can sometimes change healthy tissue in a way that is bad.
It has already been shown that the virus can cause cancer in the penis, the anus, and the cervix.
Experts think that more oral intercourse is to blame for the rise in throat cancer cases connected to HPV, especially in young and middle-aged adults.
In 2010, actor Michael Douglas made news when he said that oral sex gave him throat cancer.
Frank remembered, “I felt my neck while shaving and thought, ‘That feels a bit hard.'” This was when he first knew something was wrong.
The doctor saw a tumor the size of a boiled egg sticking out of the top of my tonsils when he looked in my mouth.
I thought my job and not getting enough sleep were to blame for how tired I was.
I also started getting up three or four times a night to use the bathroom, but I thought that was just because I was getting older.
My girlfriend believed it might just be swollen glands from the stress of working out.
He was shocked to find out that oral sex had made him sick.
I stopped smoking ten years ago, so I didn’t see this coming.
Some of the guys at work chuckled, not because of the disease, but because of how it happened.
Their faces turned white when I advised them to Google it.
The doctor said that the virus that contaminated my biopsies probably started about 40 years ago.
I was having sex when I was 20, but I wasn’t with a lot of different women.
Frank started treatment at Henley Hospital in Oxfordshire in January 2024, after 12 years in the Royal Corps of Signals. He had six weeks of radiation therapy and two rounds of chemotherapy.
He remarked, “Even though I was in the army for 12 years, that radiation therapy was the most painful thing I’ve ever been through.”
He is now telling others about his journey sixteen months after finishing therapy.
“I don’t think oral sex is a good idea.
If you notice any strange symptoms, including tiredness, swelling, or lumps, please don’t ignore them; it’s best to consult a doctor right once.
Cancer Research UK says that head and neck cancer is the eighth most frequent form in the UK. Every year, about 12,500 new cases are diagnosed and 4,000 people die from the condition.
The NHS says that 80% of people will develop HPV, but most will get better.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the HPV vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, yet only 56% of girls and 50% of boys in the UK have gotten it. In Denmark, however, more than 80% of girls and boys have gotten it.
In 2008, girls in Year 8 were able to get the vaccine, and in 2019, boys were able to get it.
Experts say that the low uptake is due to stigma and misunderstandings about the vaccine, such as the idea that it solely protects against cervical cancer.
Frank’s story is a reminder that HPV can stay hidden for a long time and that finding it early can save lives.