[Question #7534] chances of developing throat cancer?

55 months ago

Hello doctors,i have some questions.

1- which type of hpv is linked to throat cancer some sources say its only hpv 16 is that true.?

2- i performed oral sex on a male sex worker and i believe im in risk of throat cancer in the future.

3- i got the hpv gardasil 4 in 2019 does that mean i will not get throat cancer.

I took the 3 shots of the vaccine in different random places in my body idk if that does change the effectiveness of the vaccine or not.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

55 months ago

Welcome back. I looked at your two previous discussions with Dr. Hook. Apparently you had entirely safe sex and have had few or no sexual exposures since 2018; and since that time have been vaccinated against HPV.

1. True. HPV 16 is the only type that causes of pharyngeal (throat) cancer. There may be exceptions, i.e. other types involved, but rarely.

1,2. Even without vaccination, the chance of pharyngeal cancer from any single oral sex exposure is exceedingly low, probably under one chance in many milllion. And if this oral sex event occurred after you were vaccinated, you were immune to HPV 16 and could not have been infected. Gardasil (either 4 or 9) is 100% effective in preventing HPV16, anywhere on the body -- i.e. equally effective in preventing oral as genital infection. Finally, even among people with oral HPV16, the vast majority do not progress to cancer.

This is nothing to be at all worried about!

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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55 months ago

Thank you for the reassurance.. is this exposure a risk to my partner and is it a risk for HBV or any other stds and should i test for anything?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

55 months ago

You were at little or no risk of HBV from the exposures you have described. With 2 years having passed since your past possible exposure, the only tests you might consider are blood tests for HIV nd syphilis. You were at little risk of these, but it would be a reasonable step for reassurance. If somehow I were in your situation, that's all I would do. You can definitely expect negative results.---

55 months ago

Thanks again, im the type that gets high anxiety when i do testing but for reassurance i may consider it .. last question if i get the gardasil shots from random nurses in different location on my body does that effect the vaccine in anyways..final question and goodbye.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

55 months ago

Of course the vaccine injection sites make no difference.

Best wishes and stay safe.

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