Oral Cancer & HPV

Oral cancer is one of the fastest growing types of cancer we are seeing today.

A simple and painless test performed annually during our regular dental check-ups can certainly help identify potential warning signs of oral cancer.

The Oral Cancer Foundation goes on to suggest that a little self-examination can go a long way in between dental visits.

According to Head & Neck Oncologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, Dr. Marshall Posner MD, there are essentially two major causes of how people get oral cancer.

One is environmental – primarily smoking & alcohol – and the other is HPV, or the human papillomavirus.

– Oral cancer kills one person every hour of every day.
– Oral cancer is one of the fastest growing types of cancer.
– There is a vaccine for HPV.

A lot of us have heard of HPV, the human papillomavirus, which is the leading cause of cervical cancer. But did you know that a strain of that same virus is also the cause of an increasing number of oral cancers?

Does HPV Cause Oral Cancer?

Take a look at this oral cancer public service announcement video to hear Blythe Danner, mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, and widow to Bruce Paltrow, speak on the effects that her husband’s cancer had on her families lives.

In 2008 The Bruce Paltrow fund was added to OCF as a collaborative effort between the Paltrow family, headed by Actress Blythe Danner (Paltrow), and OCF’s founder.

The Paltrow fund has specific goals to aid in fund raising and public outreach efforts. The goals reflect the humanitarian nature of Director Producer Bruce Paltrow who was lost to oral cancer in 2002.

Learn more about The Bruce Paltrow Fund.
Here are some self-screening tips for oral cancer, and some helpful tips on preventing oral cancer.

Can anyone remember what specific strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to oral cancer?