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WHO WE ARE
The HPV Alliance's mission is to raise awareness about HPV and the six cancers it causes. We aim to empower individuals to advocate for their own health by arming them with facts about HPV infection, prevention, cancer detection, and survival. We are also trying to end the negative stigma associated with HPV cancers and inspire those impacted by an HPV cancer with the stories of those who have survived this deadly disease.
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We also work to increase awareness about HPV cancers in the medical community. Our medical advisory board, comprised of leading physicians whose work is impacted by HPV, help us develop programs designed to educate physicians in the areas of General Practice, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ear Nose and Throat, Dermatology, Dentistry, Urology, Oncology, Pharmacology, and Infectious Diseases.
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We do this because we believe that no one should have to die from this virus.
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INTERNATIONAL HPV AWARNESS DAY SUMMIT
On March 4th, medical experts and celebrities participated in our first webinar in support of International HPV Awareness Day.
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A very special thank you to all of our speakers and sponsors!
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FEATURED NEWS
April is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month
April is head and neck cancer awareness month. Read on for an informative interview with a leading physician specializing in head and neck oncology and a survivor's compelling story of HPV-related head and neck cancer.
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IN THE OFFICE
To further our mission of spreading knowledge about HPV and HPV cancers, each newsletter includes an in-depth interview with an expert on HPV and HPV cancers. In honor of head and neck cancer awareness month, we are pleased to share an interview with our Medical Advisory board member, Dr. Marshall Posner.
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Dr. Posner is Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY. He is the Medical Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program, Associate Director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapeutics, and co-Director of the Cancer Clinical Investigation Program for the Mount Sinai NCI - National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE INTERVIEW
Rise in Incidence and Sites of Head and Neck HPV Cancers
Head and neck cancer caused by HPV has been rising substantially and continuously since it was first identified in 2000. It is currently increasing dramatically.75% of the cases we see at Mount Sinai are HPV positive oropharynx cancers. We expect to see 30,000 cases in the US next year.
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Not only are incidence of HPV head and neck cancers increasing but the sites where head and neck cancer are occurring have increased. For example, about half of nasal cavity cancers now are caused by HPV.
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Screening for Head and Neck HPV Cancers
Right now there are no good tests to screen for head and neck cancer. However, saliva tests, antibody tests, and cell-free HPV-DNA tests are currently being researched.
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The best screening tool is for people to be alert to whether they develop a sore throat, if they have a neck node, if they have difficulty swallowing or changes in their voice. Those are early signs of the cancer.
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HPV Cancer Prevention
We should be advocating for early vaccination. It’s a totally preventable disease. We should urge men and women until the age of 45 to be vaccinated. I recommend vaccination at whatever age, frankly. Even though there is no documentation that the vaccine is preventative over the age of 45, I’d venture to say it is quite likely to affect people over the age of 45 as well.
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There is evidence that getting a Gardasil vaccine might prevent the development of cancer in people who already have high-risk HPV. So, it’s especially important to get a vaccine if you have an intimate contact who has HPV or has had an HPV cancer, or if you have had an HPV cancer. If you have had a PAP smear that is positive for high-risk HPV, then once you clear that infection, you might benefit from the vaccine.
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Urgent Need for Trials of Reduced Dose Radiation Treatment
The tragedy and the scandal of oropharyngeal HPV cancers is that there have been no definitive trials to reduce the standard care beyond the very intensive treatments that are available. Radiation therapy is the principal cause of short- and long-term side effects. Not enough is being done to establish how and how much to reduce the amount of radiation given to people with HPV head and neck cancers. This is a tragedy. (Dr. Posner is advocating actively for such trials.)
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Recommendations for Newly Diagnosed HPV Head and Neck Cancer Patients
People should know this is curable. It’s highly curable and what they really need is to get the proper therapy.
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For a newly diagnosed patient of HPV head and neck cancer, it is recommended to be treated at a cancer center where there is ongoing research into HPV head and neck cancer and a desire to de-escalate treatment. Patients are not going to get the opportunity to participate in a de-escalation trial without going to a cancer center that has research in these trials or is participating in a randomized national cooperative trial. Frankly, says Dr. Posner, “I would travel 200 miles a day to get reduced dose radiation. That’s how significant a problem it is. If I were anywhere within 200 miles of this location, I would do it. I would not want the agony I see in my patients."
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SURVIVOR'S STORY
My Gift in Disguise
On October 26, 2018, at 9:36 a.m., I received an entirely unexpected and highly personal gift. Slightly larger than an American dime, this gift’s most interesting aspects included an irregular shape, an uneven texture, and a random color pattern. The gift was accidentally discovered by my dentist and then confirmed by numerous doctors after they analyzed multiple imaging tests and two neck biopsies. The process of locating the site where my stage four squamous cell head and neck cancer originated reminded me of a childhood fortune hunt. Only now the hunt focused on me and my misfortune.
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Once the tumor was precisely located, I knew it was big trouble, and I was scared. As I sought to better understand my cancer, I began to perceive some interesting benefits it might offer, and soon developed a new perspective. I began to realize that my gift might have good, if hidden, aspects. Either way, cancer was about to unquestionably change my life forever. It was time to focus on the positives.
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Robert H. Miller is a successful author and photojournalist, as well as, a recognized international automotive lighting design expert. He is an award-winning author and photographer. His books include Hidden Hell: Discovering My Father’s POW Diary (2012 Independent Publishing Award: Bronze Medal, Biography), and Portraits of Service Looking into the Faces of Veterans (2012 Independent Publishing Award: Outstanding Book of the Year, Gold Medal, Freedom Fighters). His work can be viewed at his website www.roberthmiller.com
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UPCOMING EVENTS
May 12, 2021 Women's Check-Up Day
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June 6, 2021 National Cancer Survivor's Day
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June 14-20, 2021 Men's Health Week
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