• 6/26/2005
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • ABC Channel 7 News (abc7.com)

Oral cancer is often associated with smoking, but an increasing number of young non-smokers are being diagnosed with the disease. It’s a killer that could be hiding right under your nose.

Oral cancer strikes 30,000 Americans a year. Of those, only half survive. Brian Hill, the Founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, did not smoke, or fall into the “historical” stereotype of an oral cancer patient. But that stereotypical patient model is changing. He was diagnosed with stage four oral cancer, and in his case a viral association was likely the precursor trigger. Oral cancer it seems is not just for smokers.

Brian tested positive for the HPV virus, as did his wife. Researchers believe HPV interferes with proteins that inhibit tumor growth. This is a very common virus that as many as 40% of all Americans have. However, only some forms of it may cause malignancy. Two versions of it – 16 and 18, are the same virus that causes approximately 98% of all cervical cancer, and now are documented to be involved in oral cancers as well.

HPV is usually spread through sexual activity. It is possible to transmit the virus from one individual to another. Doctors say it is highly unlikely that the virus can be transmitted through casual contact.

Brian endured 7 weeks of radiation followed by surgery to remove a portion of the floor of his mouth, and the right side of his neck. He beat the odds and survived.

Women can get tested for HPV following a pap smear, but there isn’t a reliable way to detect the virus in men yet. That’s why a three-minute screening is the best way to catch oral cancer early. The screening is simple, quick, inexpensive, and it can save lives.

Doctors say there are a more than a hundred different types of human papilloma virus, only a few of which cause malignancies, it is believed that only two of them are linked to oral cancer.