You know a lot about breast cancer, but what do you know about cervical cancer?
You know a lot about breast cancer, but what do you know about cervical cancer? Everyone knows about the “one less” ads promoting the Gardasil vaccine, but what do they really know about Human Papamillovirus?
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. You can get it from skin-to-skin contact, even if you have protection.
Men can carry the disease but there is no test for them. Most people don’t even show any symptoms of the disease.
A new campaign called Tune In HPV has risen around this issue and has provided a safe space for people to share stories. Our Web site, www.tuneinhpv.com, provides a place to share your story about HPV. It doesn’t matter whether you had the disease, knew someone who had it, or wanted to share something distantly related. We are open to anything that promotes HPV awareness.
We plan on making videos from the submitted stories and posting them on the Web site as well. These videos are short, off beat, humorous at times, and always informational. We hope that visitors will gain knowledge while being entertained by watching our videos. We are not in any way trying to give our medical advice to people, please seek your doctor for that. We are simply here to provide a place for people’s stories.
Our information is supported by the Washington D.C. Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control. Tune in HPV is a grass roots campaign built through the School of Communication at American University by a Communication and Social Change course.
We want to encourage you to “tune in” to the knowledge within you and to protect yourself from HPV. We want to hear what you know, what you’ve experienced, and we want to make you laugh and think.
Be sure and let Giovanna Chesler, our executive producer, know what you think of tuneinhpv.com at chesler@american.edu
Another place to share your HPV story
Filed under Advocacy, Breast Cancer, Buzz, Cervical Cancer, Gardasil, HPV, Stories | Comment (0)About HPV and cervical cancer
Worldwide, cervical cancer affects more than 400,000 women annually and, after breast cancer, is the second-most-common malignancy found in women. Cervical cancer is caused by “high-risk” types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are sexually transmitted. It’s estimated that 80 percent of women will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives. However, in most cases, the infection goes away or is suppressed by the body without causing problems. It is only infections that persist that can cause abnormal cells to form that may develop into cervical cancer if not detected and treated early.
NEJM Report Finds HPV Test More Effective Than Pap in Determining Cervical Cancer Risk
Filed under Breast Cancer, Buzz, Cervical Cancer, HIV | AIDS | Comments (8)October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
I want to put together a web page of stories. Stories about breast cancer. Stories about chemo. Stories about fighting breast cancer. Stories of love that’s been lost. Stories of survival. Will you think about sharing your Breast Cancer story with me?
What I’m looking for is a story written up in an e-mail OR word document. You are welcome to provide links to your blogs and/or internet projects. Personal photos are not required but totally encouraged and especially if you are going through chemo.
Think about all the people that you could bring hope and inspiration to just by sharing your story!! If you think this is something you’d be willing to do title the subject line of your note to me “Breast Cancer Awareness” and shoot me an e-mail. I’d love to work on this with you!!
Filed under Advocacy, Breast Cancer, Buzz, Stories | Comment (0)HPV and Men: Should Boys Be Vaccinated Against the STD?
My best friend sent me this article through e-mail and I thought it was good enough to share here with you guys.
Anal cancer is not something you often read or hear about in the daily news.
Maybe it’s too taboo to talk about this part of the body. Actress Farrah Fawcett did not mention what type of cancer she is battling, but, according to reports, the 59-year-old actress has a rare form of anal cancer.
Click here to the see “HPV: The Male Factor: video
The cancer itself is also rare, affecting more than 4,600 people each year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). It isn’t top of mind. However, the number of cases of the cancer has remained at a steady number since last year, which means, it has not gone away.
In 2006, there were approximately 4,660 new cases of anal cancer in the U.S. and around 660 deaths, according to the ACS. This year, more than 4,600 cases are expected.
Likewise, oral cancer, that is cancers of the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue, are not cancers commonly discussed. In fact, of the 45,000 new cases of head and neck cancers expected this year, only 10,000 will affect the back of throat area. Oral cancer is on the decline in America, except in men over the age of 45.
The culprit in the rise in both oral and anal cancers in men is the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that can form in the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), anus or in the linings of the vagina, cervix or rectum.
The number of HPV cases, while still high in women, is increasing in the male community, particularly in gay men, according to Dr. Robert Mayer, vice chairman of academic affairs at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
One of the main factors leading to HPV and eventually, anal cancer, is engaging in anal sex. In addition to anal sex, other risk factors include having multiple sex partners, frequent anal redness or soreness and smoking.
The cancer may be mistaken for skin cancer, since the tumors can initially form on the skin area outside of the anus, which is the same skin that is on the buttocks.
“Virally, it’s a condition that is sexually transmitted,” said Mayer. “It’s the same virus that causes anal cancer. For many years, it was associated with venereal warts, giving a connotation that it was related to some form of sexual activity. For years, it occurred mostly with women, but now it’s occurring with a larger percentage of (gay) men. It’s related to sexual practices and the passage of virals in the anus.”
Oral Cancer
Although HPV and cervical cancer can be readily diagnosed in women through annual pap smears, men don’t normally undergo any sort of tests that would detect oral HPV or throat cancer, said Dr. Erich M. Sturgis, of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“Cervical cancer is so well established,” he said. “In fact, well before we had the HPV vaccination, we were able to prevent cervical cancer and catch cervical cancer early because of the good screening methods. We don’t have the same kind of methods of screening for cancers of the throat and oral HPV.”
Men also are a “hidden reservoir” for the virus and can pass the disease onto their female partners, Sturgis said.
It’s for these reasons that Sturgis believes research is needed to determine whether the HPV vaccine, sold under the brand Gardasil and currently available to young girls in the U.S., is effective for boys.
“I’m aware that drug companies are studying their vaccinations in men,” he said. “And that’s hopefully going to provide evidence that the vaccine is effective in preventing the virus in men.”
Sturgis said some of the studies of the HPV vaccine and men are focused on men who are at high risk for anal cancer.
“It’s a group that is more likely to get (regular) anal or genital swabs and, therefore, it’s easier to track the disease,” he said.
In the meantime, men and women should view cervical, oral and anal cancers as sexually transmitted diseases, or at least understand that these potentially deadly cancers are more often than not caused by a sexually transmitted disease, and protect themselves, Sturgis said.
“Condoms will protect against the virus somewhat,” he said. “But women should be examined each year, and if they do have an abnormal pap smear, they should be treated and make sure their partners are treated.”
By Tina Benitez and Marrecca Fiore
Be sure you print this out OR forward it to someone you love so that will learn more about the virus that can cause cervical cancer.
This was posted on Sexual Health Buzz strictly for personal use and educational purposes to help try and spread the word on cervical cancer and HPV in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
Have you done a self breast exam today?
Filed under Advocacy, Breast Cancer, Buzz, Cervical Cancer, Condoms, Gardasil, Oral Sex | Comment (0)Herpes to Treat Breast Cancer?
Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine are helping develop an alternative treatment for breast cancer.
Genetic engineering of the non-life threatening herpes virus has allowed them to destroy breast cancer cells without harming normal cells.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is responsible for one in three cancers detected in women.
“You put a tumor in the back of a mouse and use the herpes virus to inactivate the tumor,” he said. “The virus is injected into the tumor and then digests the tumor. It basically eliminates the cancer.”
Filed under Breast Cancer, Buzz, Herpes | Comment (0)What is the likelihood that my baby will contract herpes later on in life?
I already had herpes for a few years before I got pregnant with my daughter, and had outbreaks when I was pregnant. Now that my body has antibodies and my baby received those, what is the likelihood that she will get herpes simplex 1 (the type I have) later in life? What are the chances that she will get type 2? Are her chances less? - Anon
Here’s what I know from my own personal experience along with all the materials that I have read.
Yes, we do share our antibodies with our babies when we are pregnant and when we are breast feeding.
Once you give birth to your baby you no longer share your antibodies. The only time you would still share antibodies is if you chose to breast feed.
Once you stop breast feeding OR even after quite a bit of time breast feeding, I don’t think you continue to share antibodies.
What you could do is give your baby’s pediatrician a phone call and ask about this. I’d be interested in knowing more about what your doctor tells you.
Talk about herpes when you’re pregnant
Filed under Breast Cancer, Buzz, Herpes | Comment (0)Having Herpes When You’re Pregnant
These are questions that were sent in to me that I felt would work well to be asked and answered right here on my blog. This way people that are asking the same questions will find this particular set and see what it is I had to say about it.
1. We are talking about becoming pregnant, but I feel quite unhappy with herpes and pregnancy. I would really want to deliver my baby in a natural way, but am afraid it will have to be an operational birth. You wrote on your site about taking medication (aciclovir?) 6 weeks before the baby is due to make sure there won’t be any outbreaks. My question is, isn’t this medication harmful for the baby in the belly and can you give breast feeding with this medication? Did you investigate this before you used the medication?
Yes, when I was pregnant with #2 and #3 I chose to go on suppressive therapy 6 weeks before my due dates. I took 500 mg of Valtrex twice daily in order to keep from having an outbreak during labor and delivery. I have been researching herpes and situations with herpes since about 1995 so I think I’m in pretty good hands as far as the decisions I have made with regard to this STD and what I feel is best for me and for my kiddos. Valtrex is not harmful to the fetus as far as I can tell as there haven’t been any reports if it causing any problems during pregnancy. And as far as I can tell it’s totally safe to take while you are breast feeding. There isn’t any evidence out there that states otherwise so for me the benefits of using it far outweighed the risks. I only took the medication if I felt that I needed to. As long as I wasn’t having an outbreak I did not take the medication while I was pregnant. I have known women that were on suppressive therapy while they were pregnant with Acyclovir.
2. Also I’d like to know if you ever tried Dynamiclear and if so what was your experience?
I have a bottle of Dynamiclear sitting right here on my desk. If I do wind up with an outbreak any time soon I will most certainly give it a try and let y’all know how it worked out for me.
Filed under Acyclovir, Breast Cancer, Buzz, Choraphor, Dynamiclear, Herpes, Pregnancy, Valtrex | Comment (0)
