"I'd only ever heard of HPV in relation to cervical cancer. I had no idea it could cause cancers like this, especially in men."
"I consider myself lucky that I can still eat and talk, but if I'd left it much later, I could have lost my tongue or even died."
"I had a three-year-old and a six-year-old at the time. My first thought wasn't about me, it was about them. I was completely petrified for them,"
"One of the lymph nodes was on the verge of rupturing. If it had gone any further, it could have spread."
An HPV-related cancer at the base of the tongue was diagnosed after a small lump under the jaw. The patient had no symptoms but CT, biopsy and MRI confirmed disease in March 2023. Forty-four lymph nodes were removed and the primary tumour was located and excised with robotic-assisted surgery; one lymph node was on the verge of rupturing. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy caused severe side effects including a 22kg weight loss and loss of saliva, making eating and drinking difficult. Most HPV infections clear, but certain types can cause genital warts or cancers, commonly head and neck cancers in men. NHS vaccination is recommended for children aged 12–13 and for high-risk groups. Early detection of lumps can save lives.
Read at www.bbc.com
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