The lump on the left vocal cord is a papilloma caused by HPV.
A new report in the medical journal Lancet calls for men to get the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine just like already recommended for women to protect against HPV-related cancers in the genitals, mouth and throat. In an earlier post I discussed the findings that changes in sexual practices have made oral sex, and kissing, the leading cause of mouth and throat cancer.
Researchers looked at HPV infection in males and found that half of all men contract it at some time and that the average infection can last up to 52 months (4 years and 4 months) before the body can clear the infection. The more sexual partners, the higher the risk of HPV infection. In the US, there are 7600 cases of HPV-related cancers of the penis, anus, mouth or throat every year.
Gardisil is the vaccine that protects against HPV infection. It is recommended to be given to boys before they have any sexual contact to be the most effective. It can be given as early as 9 years of age.
Read the research article in the Lancet at http://bit.ly/fNS6Oe
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a fact sheet about HPV and can be read at http://bit.ly/fN9irS.
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