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I never got the HPV vaccine and am now too old. Recently I had a papilloma removed from my soft palate near my uvula. They checked it for cancer but not HPV, ev

I never got the HPV vaccine and am now too old. Recently I had a papilloma removed from my soft palate near my uvula. They checked it for cancer but not HPV, even though they said it was almost certainly HPV. So for $129 I took the OraRisk HPV test which tests for 51 strains, including the ones associated with cancer, and the results came up negative. So I maybe sort of probably don't have HPV, or may have but don't anymore. Or maybe something like that.

interludead 2y ago
Yeah, the whole HPV testing landscape is kind of a mess - lots of "maybe, sort of, probably" vibes even after paying out of pocket for extra tests. It's frustrating how unclear everything still is, especially for something so common.
- _mlbt 1y ago
  The old tried and true Pap test is still the best screening tool we have for cervical cancer.
carlmr 2y ago
>I never got the HPV vaccine and am now too old It can still help even with previous exposure. This is outdated information. Also it helps against 9 strains. Most people are not exposed to all 9 instantly. Further you can be exposed without having intercourse. Skin contact is enough. Even walking barefoot in the gym. You will have to pay yourself probably, but since you paid $129 for a test I'm assuming you could afford at least one vaccine dose. Also the NHS did a study and found a single dose is sufficient.
- sys32768 1y ago
  Every source I see says the vaccine is approved only up to age 45, but are you saying my doctor will give it upon request?
  - carlmr 1y ago
    So I showed my doctor sources from the NHS (I'm not in England), and he agreed to do it, although I had to obviously pay out of pocket. There's also no safety limit for age[1], so there's no reason not to give it to you if you pay for it. [1] https://www.mskcc.org/news/think-you-re-too-old-get-hpv-vaccine-prevent-cancer-maybe-not#:~:text=Getting%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%20later,include%20the%20high%2Drisk%20forms. https://www.mskcc.org/news/think-you-re-too-old-get-hpv-vacc...

interludead 2y ago

Yeah, the whole HPV testing landscape is kind of a mess - lots of "maybe, sort of, probably" vibes even after paying out of pocket for extra tests. It's frustrating how unclear everything still is, especially for something so common.

_mlbt 1y ago
The old tried and true Pap test is still the best screening tool we have for cervical cancer.

carlmr 2y ago

>I never got the HPV vaccine and am now too old It can still help even with previous exposure. This is outdated information. Also it helps against 9 strains. Most people are not exposed to all 9 instantly. Further you can be exposed without having intercourse. Skin contact is enough. Even walking barefoot in the gym. You will have to pay yourself probably, but since you paid $129 for a test I'm assuming you could afford at least one vaccine dose. Also the NHS did a study and found a single dose is sufficient.

sys32768 1y ago
Every source I see says the vaccine is approved only up to age 45, but are you saying my doctor will give it upon request?
- carlmr 1y ago
  So I showed my doctor sources from the NHS (I'm not in England), and he agreed to do it, although I had to obviously pay out of pocket. There's also no safety limit for age[1], so there's no reason not to give it to you if you pay for it. [1] https://www.mskcc.org/news/think-you-re-too-old-get-hpv-vaccine-prevent-cancer-maybe-not#:~:text=Getting%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%20later,include%20the%20high%2Drisk%20forms. https://www.mskcc.org/news/think-you-re-too-old-get-hpv-vacc...