You have little if anything to worry about in regard to your own health as it relates to your husband's HPV-16 infection. However, a few simple precautions would make sense -- discussed below. You are correct that your husband probably had a dormant HPV-16 infection for many years, apparently oral but perhaps genital as well. By now, you have been repeatedly exposed to it sexually and by kissing, and almost certainly infected yourself -- perhaps all your 30 years together. Indeed, there is a very good chance you were the source of his infection, assuming you had other sex partners before you and he became partners. This can never be known with certainty. However, by now it is almost certain your immune system has controlled the infection and it will never cause you any problem.

Since you have been married 30 years, I assume you are over 50 -- i.e. beyond the age when routine pap smears are recommended. Nevertheless, given this development, you should discuss the situation with your gynecolgist, who may want to examine you and perhaps do a pap smear. And to be extra safe about the possibility of an oral infection, ask him or her (or your primary care provider, or your dentist, to carefully examine your throat. None of these is urgent; any can be done at your next routine medical or dental appointment. The chance you have an active HPV-16 infection, either genital or oral, is extremely small, and the chance of cancer or pre-malignant abnormality smaller still. The vast majority of people with HPV-16, whether genital or oral, never develop cancer or any other abnormality.

There are a few special HPV-16 strains that appear to be especially likely to cause malignancy, and I am aware of a medical journal case report (about to be published) in which penile and vulvar cancer occurred simultaneously in an elderly married couple, due to one of these rare strains. But I stress how uncommon this is:  rare enough to warrant journal publication as a special case! In any case, you do not need testing for HPV-16 (or any HPV infection) itself -- only precautionary exams to be sure you have no genital or oral signs of active infection.

So don't lose sleep over your health. The important thing here is the care and support your husband will need as he deals with his throat cancer.

I hope this has helped. Best wishes--  HHH, MD