Gardasil Vaccine Now FDA Approved to Prevent Throat Cancer

On June 12, 2020, the FDA has (finally) approved an expanded indication for the Gardasil-9 vaccine for the prevention of throat and other head and neck cancers caused by the HPV virus. This vaccine was originally designed to prevent cervical cancer, but is now indicated to also prevent vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers [ link ]. This FDA approval is long overdue given throat cancer due to the HPV virus is THE most common cause of throat cancer for young adults under 50 years of age... eve…

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Oral HPV Infection is Prevalent in Adult Men

A population study was published in October 2017 revealing a high prevalence of oral HPV infection in men between ages 18 - 69 years. This study is important because HPV is known to increase the risk of not only cervical cancer, but also oral and throat cancer. And in young adults under 50 years, it causes more throat cancer than even smoking. [ more info ] From a public health policy concern, more importantly, it is also "contagious" in that one partner can transmit their HPV in…

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Men with Deeper Voices are More Successful

©  Dreamstime Agency  |  Dreamstime Stock Photos A Duke University study has found that men with deeper voices not only are more successful, but also make significantly more money. How much more money? $187,000 per year more than men with higher-pitched voices. How much deeper does the voice need to be to make a difference? Apparently 22.1 hertz which is approximately 1/6 the difference between the pitch of James Earl Jones (low-pitch) and Mike Tyson (high-pitch). Other research (see b…

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Should Boys Also Get Vaccinated for HPV?

NPR on Aug 20, 2010 aired a story whether boys should also get vaccinated for HPV. It is well established that vaccines like Gardasil (FDA approved for boys in 2009) and Cervarix protect against two of the HPV types (HPV-16 and HPV-18) that can cause cervical cancer and some other genital cancers including anal, vulvar, vaginal, and penile cancers. However, it may potentially prevent other types of HPV related disorders (NOT mentioned in the NPR story) involving the head & neck in both …

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WSJ: FDA Approves Gardasil for Boys (and Girls)!

This was reported by the Wall Street Journal on Oct 16, 2009. Why is this significant from an ENT perspective? Well, gardasil is supposed to vaccinate people from getting HPV related diseases like genital warts which would help both genders when individuals become sexually active. Of more note, it has been specifically shown to help prevent cervical cancer in females which is a big killer of women. However, it may potentially prevent other types of HPV related disorders involving the head…

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