You can carry a cancer-causing virus, pass it to your partner and have no idea it is there.
No pain. No discharge. No visible warning.
The human papillomavirus, better known as HPV, is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Most infections clear naturally, but persistent infection with high-risk types can cause cancers years after the original exposure.
For Jamaica, the conversation needs to move beyond genital warts and Pap smears. Men need to understand what HPV can do to their throats. Women need to understand why waiting for symptoms can mean missing the opportunity to prevent cervical cancer.
HPV spreads through intimate sexual contact, including oral sex. Condoms reduce the risk but cannot eliminate it because the virus can infect skin they do not cover.
Men are part of this conversation
Many men still consider HPV a women’s health issue. That misunderstanding can have serious consequences.
HPV can cause cancer in the oropharynx: the back of the throat, including the tonsils and base of the tongue. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that HPV causes 60 to 70 per cent of these cancers in the US. Oropharyngeal cancer is also the most common HPV-associated cancer among American men.
Those are American figures, not Jamaican statistics. But the medical warning applies here: HPV can cause cancer in men too.
A persistent sore throat, difficulty swallowing, unexplained ear pain or a lump in the neck deserves medical assessment. Do not repeatedly dismiss these symptoms or keep treating them without finding the cause.
For women, the danger can develop silently. The World Health Organization estimated that 660,000 women developed cervical cancer worldwide in 2022, and approximately 350,000 died.
Persistent high-risk HPV infection causes almost all cervical cancers. Precancerous changes can develop without symptoms, creating a dangerous gap between feeling well and being well.
Screening gives us an opportunity to identify risk and treat precancer before invasive cancer develops. Bleeding after sex, bleeding between periods or after menopause, and unusual vaginal discharge require assessment, even if a previous screening result was normal.
What PCR testing actually tells you
PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, detects genetic material from the virus. Validated HPV PCR tests can identify high-risk HPV in an appropriate sample, while genotyping identifies particular types that help guide follow-up.
A Pap smear looks for abnormal cervical cells. An HPV test looks for the virus associated with those changes. They answer different questions and may be used separately or together, depending on age, medical history, and the screening pathway.
MDLink Diagnostic Laboratory offers broad HPV PCR testing covering a range of HPV genotypes. Patients should ask which types their panel detects and what follow-up their result requires.
A positive HPV result does not mean you have cancer. It means the result needs appropriate interpretation and follow-up. A negative cervical or genital HPV result cannot rule out HPV in the throat. There is currently no standard screening test for HPV-related throat cancer.
Make sexual health a routine responsibility
Every sexually active Jamaican should make an annual sexual-health review a priority and discuss an appropriate STI screen. Many people need annual testing; those with ongoing higher-risk exposures may need testing more frequently. The tests and timing should reflect age, partners, sexual practices and medical history.
An annual STI review does not mean everyone needs an annual HPV test. Cervical screening follows its own schedule, and HPV is not automatically included in a routine STI panel.
Vaccination is another major opportunity to prevent HPV-related cancers. Ask about eligibility for yourself and your children. Vaccination prevents new infections; it does not treat an existing infection or replace cervical screening.
We need to stop treating sexual-health testing as something reserved for people with symptoms or suspected infidelity.
You should not have to discover a preventable cancer before taking a common virus seriously.
For information on HPV testing and appropriate STI screening, visit theMDLink.com.
Dr Ché Bowen is CEO of the MDLink Group Ltd. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or to info@themdlink.com.
