Sadly, Natalie, the 14-year-old, became ill shortly after being vaccinated and she died not long after. Of course, it wasn’t hard not to blame the vaccine as it certainly appeared that the cause and effect was there. But after examining Natalie’s body, doctors confirmed that her death was not due to the vaccine, but rather that, Natalie had an undetected malignant (cancerous) tumor in her chest. The tumor had infiltrated (gone into) her heart and one of her lungs.

You can read more about the sad story in this article, Cancer Vaccine Girl Died Of Malignant Chest Tumor.

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Image: StockXchng.com

Post from: Blisstree

HPV Vaccine Not Cause of U.K. Girl’s Death

However, many parents are holding back with the vaccine, not because of moral issues, but because they fear what the drug’s side effects will be. The drug is, after all, new, and they fear that we don’t know everything about it yet that we need to. So even though the recommended age for the vaccine is starting with 11-12 year olds, some moms are waiting until the later teen years.

What do you think about this decision? Will you wait or get your daughters vaccinated now?

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Will You Give Your Teen Gardasil?

Oral cancers, of the tongue, gums, lips or mouth, are in the rise around the world. And the sad fact is that most oral cancers are preventable. According to the American Cancer Society ,

Most oral cancers could be prevented if people did not use tobacco or drink heavily.
Quitting tobacco and limiting alcohol use sharply reduce any risk of developing oral cancer, even after many years of use. Many oral cancers may be found early by a combination of routine screening examinations by a doctor or dentist and by self-examination.

Another cause of oral cancer, of the lips, is the sun. Just as we protect our skin from the harmful rays, we need to protect our lips, using lip balms that contain sun block. This isn’t just for the summer either – if you’re an avid outdoor winter sports person, the sun can be particularly hard on your lips as it bounces off the snow.

The use of alcohol and tobacco and its relationship to oral cancer shouldn’t be surprising, but what may surprise many people is the effect of HPV (human papillomavirus) on the rising incidence of oral cancer. This risk is even higher if combined with smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.

HPV is the same virus that may cause women to develop cancer of the cervix. The virus has been the target of a vaccine that was recently developed, targeting young women who are not yet sexually active.

Fight Oral Cancer website

The Fight Oral Cancer website was started by Arma Shahidi Fitzgerald after the death of close friend to the disease. According to her homepage,

This cancer kills more people than breast cancer. Over 480,000 cases of oral cancer occur each year worldwide, over 34,000 cases each year in the U.S. When compared to other cancers very little has been done to inform the public on how they can avoid the ravages of oral cancer.

Learning about oral cancer

So, if this cancer is becoming so common, why don’t we hear more about it? It isn’t getting the same attention as breast cancer or prostate cancer but who knows why it’s still in the shadows. But, with sites like Fight Oral Cancer and by spreading the news about it, the awareness may increase and people may become more possibility of oral cancer.

Symptoms

The symptoms of oral cancer may be confused with something else in the mouth, but if you notice anything unusual, it’s best to contact your dentist or doctor to have it checked as soon as possible. With early treatment, most oral cancers have a good prognosis.

According to the MayoClinic.com, the symptoms of oral cancer include:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• A lump or thickening of the skin or lining of your mouth
• A white or reddish patch on the inside of your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Poorly fitting dentures
• Tongue pain
• Jaw pain or stiffness
• Difficult or painful chewing
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Sore throat
• Feeling that something is caught in your throat

Don’t be worried about feeling foolish if everything checks out ok. When it comes to cancer, it’s best to err on the side of caution, because the alternative is to have the disease and let it spread.

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Image: FightOralCancer.com

Post from: Blisstree

One Person, Every Hour of Every Day…

A new study out has weighed in on the benefits of circumcision – the potential that it can help prevent the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV). A few forms of HPV are responsible for a significant number of cervical cancer cases, as well as genital warts.

According to an article over at WebMD , the risk of circumcised men contracting genital wards dropped by 25% and contracting HPV by 35%. The article also points out that women who only have one partner and he is circumcised, have a lower chance of developing cervical cancer, according to earlier studies.

Just some fuel to add to the circumcision debate. Now, to find something on breastfeeding…

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Image: iStock

Post from: Blisstree

Could circumcision reduce STD spread?

According to the CDC, HPV may be low-risk (wart-causing) or high-risk (cancer-causing). Some good news is that in 90% of cases, your immune system might clear both low- and high-risk HPV infections naturally within two years. However, discussing testing with your doctor is still a good idea. If a high-risk HPV infection isn’t defeated by the immune system, it may stay around for many years and turn into cancer over time.

Cervista HPV HR is designed to detect the 14 high-risk types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. It’s the first HPV DNA test approved by the FDA in more than 10 years.

Cervista HPV 16/18 is the first HPV test approved for genotyping for HPV types 16 and 18 — associated with around 70% of all cervical cancers in the US.

Both of these tests have recently been approved for use by the FDA.

Benefits of the new tests:

Cervista HPV HR reduces the potential for false negative results and may minimize inconclusive results. It’s also designed to minimize false positives, potentially reducing unnecessary patient anxiety.

Cervista HPV 16/18 identifies the two most cancer-causing and persistent types of HPV. Some studies have shown that HPV types 16 and 18 are respectively 5.5 times and 4.5 times more likely to cause cancer than all other high-risk HPV types combined.

According to the test makers Hologic, Cervista HPV HR test has been approved for two uses:

To screen patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) cervical cytology results to determine the need for referral to colposcopy.

Used adjunctively with cervical cytology to screen women 30 years and older to assess the presence or absence of high-risk HPV types.

The Cervista HPV 16/18 test has been approved for two uses:

In women 30 years and older the test may be used adjunctively with the Cervista HPV HR test in combination with cervical cytology to assess the presence or absence of specific high-risk HPV types.

Used adjunctively with the Cervista HPV HR test in patients with ASC-US cervical cytology results, to assess the presence or absence of specific high-risk HPV types. (The results of this test are not intended to prevent women from proceeding to colposcopy.)

Have you discussed your cervical cancer risk with your doctor?

(Image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

New HPV Tests Approved by FDA

Have you ever heard that saying that polite people never discuss religion or politics at a dinner party? I think we need to add Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, to that list.

Some people are so strongly for the vaccine for girls as young as 9 years old, while others say “over my dead body.” The arguments fly fast and furious when it comes to the safety, efficacy, and ethical issues of giving Gardasil to our children.

You know, I have no idea what side of the fence I’m on. A couple of years ago, I was hired by an online health site to write about HPV and the vaccine’s availability, from both a young woman’s point of  view and a mother’s point of view (For Mothers and For Young Women). When I wrote the pieces, my daughter was 17 and I was thinking  I really wanted her to get the vaccine. But I was only hearing one side of the story. The more I began to listen to other side, I began to wonder if this is a good idea.

So, what exactly is Gardasil?

Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against four of many strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Of these four, two are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases. HPV is an extremely contagious sexually transmitted infection (STI) that doesn’t need full intercourse to be spread. All it takes is skin to skin contact. Women who contract HPV, unless they develop genital warts, don’t have any symptoms.

Governments have been pushing to have this vaccine made available to all girls before the age of 12, before they might become sexually active. Once you’ve been exposed to HPV, the vaccine won’t do any good. So, the thinking is if you get the girls before they become sexually active, then we’ll significantly reduce the chances of infection.

This all sounds good in theory but there are flaws to this whole thing.

1- The studies done for the safety and efficacy of the vaccine were small and not over a life time, so we don’t know what the long-term effects of the vaccine are or even how long it will work.

2- The vaccine only protects against 70% of cervical cancers, not all.

3- Opponents fear that girls will develop a false sense of security and not get the recommended Pap tests to check for cervical cancer, resulting in a more invasive cancer being found later if one develops.

4- Girls will not take into account that the vaccine doesn’t protect them from other STIs or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

5- Opponents also feel that this is going down a slippery ethical slope. That if people don’t realize that there are consequences to their actions, there could be more problems down the road.

So – what do we do? Do we vaccinate our children because the drug company and government tell us it’s safe? Or have we learned from a whole bunch of other medications that have been rushed through the system and wait and see? I think I’m in the second group now. How about you?

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Tags: cancer blog, gardasil, HPV vaccine, HPV, human papillovirus, genital warts, pap tests. cervical cancer

Post from: Blisstree

Never discuss politics, religion or – Gardasil – at a dinner party

Previous studies have identified that HPV may have serious consequences that include some types of cancer: cervical, anus, vulva, penis, oropharyngeal (the middle part of the throat behind the mouth including the back of the tongue, the soft palate, the side and back walls of the throat).

Now, according to Universidad de Granada study, HPV may cause bladder cancer:

The researchers from Granada have focused their study on bladder cancer and have found some evidence of the relationship between both diseases. Nevertheless, they warn that further research on this matter is needed, particularly in order rule out the assumption that this infection is only a viral colonization and does not cause cancer (that is to say, the tumor appeared before the tissue was infected by the virus).

HPV is very common and one can only be sure of not being exposed if they’re celibate.

I think this is when the mandatory HPV vaccination becomes important.

Find more details from the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

HPV May Cause Bladder Cancer

Study participants who reported having more than six oral sex partners in their lifetime were 8.6 times more likely to develop the HPV-linked cancer.

Oral HPV infection has been found to be the strongest risk factor for throat cancer, as reported by the researchers in the May 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Guess how you’ll get HPV down your throat? By having multiple oral sex partners!

According to the study’s investigators:

Oral sex, including both fellatio and cunnilingus, is the main mode of transit for oral HPV infection, although mouth-to-mouth transmission remains possible and was not ruled out by the current study.

HPVs also can be transmitted by skin contact and are found in the mucus of the genital tract, and in saliva, urine, and semen. Both men and women contract the ubiquitous virus in equal numbers.

Not convinced yet? Read the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

Oral Sex and Throat Cancer