'The Talk' interview

Here's the interview about the case on 'The Talk'. Julie Chen brings up the case right off the bat. The one-on-one discussion with Sharon Osbourne is at 4m40s in.



A few other things that are worth checking out:

• Google Scholar: ROSSITER v. EVANS, Iowa: Court of Appeals 2009
• JN.S's blog: A Story of Courage
• HealthKicker via: Art_Is_War423: GEEZ! Take Responsibility for your Sexual Actions!
• Daree's Insights: My Number is None of Your B-I-Bizness
• OnPoint News: Iowa Court Affirms $1.5M Verdict
• Secrets of a Blue-Eyed Vixen: Would You Sue?


Finally ladies and gents... come on. Finish your Gardasil vaccine. It could save you repeated hospital visits, money, and your life.

New study on HPV and men

First spotted on MSNBC:

"We found that there is a high proportion of men who have genital HPV infections. At enrollment, it was 50 percent," said Giuliano, whose study appears online in the journal Lancet.

Read that again. Half of men had genital HPV infections at enrollment in the study. They're not saying these men simply had it at some point in their lives and cleared it. Half of those men were testing positive for at least one type of HPV on day one. And the high rate of HPV was true across all age groups for guys. Also, "[w]hereas risk of HPV decreases with increasing age in women, men seem to have a stable risk for acquiring new HPV infections throughout their life." (Purchase the full text here.)

The distinction is important. Other studies have estimated that there's a good chance that most people - both genders included - will have HPV at some time in their lives. This new study is saying something unique about men, because this is talking about males at this very moment - not at some point within a lifespan, but right now.

Aside from the 50% prevalence on day one, the study also reflects that over 1500 new infections were contracted during the study. It's possible to have more than one strain at once. If you get a new strain, it's a new infection.

What else makes men different? Well, it appears that once guys contract HPV, they hold on to the virus for a longer time. In other words, their bodies don't clear the virus as easily as women can - assuming they clear it at all:

"What is different is men seem to have high prevalence of genital HPV infections throughout their lifespans." She said it appears that women are better able to clear an HPV infection, especially as they age, but men do not appear to have this same ability.

Remember, number of lifetime partners is the #1 risk factor for getting HPV. In light of that, everyone should have a look at this part of the study:

Clearance of oncogenic HPV infection decreased in men with a high number of lifetime female partners

and

Men who had sex with more than 50 female sexual partners were 2.4 times more likely to have a cancer-causing HPV infection than men who reported having only one or no sexual partners.

(Ahem - consider that alongside this information.)

One last thing. The men in this study all got tested for HPV. Yes, you read that correctly - although there is currently no FDA approved test for men in a clinical setting, when it comes to research, it's a different story. It's how the researchers were able to say that half of the men had HPV at enrollment.

At each visit, three specimens of penile and scrotal cells were obtained from the coronal sulcus, glans penis, penile shaft, and scrotum for the detection of HPV DNA and for HPV genotyping.

And then we have the bigger picture. The purpose of this study was to inspire the development a cost effective model for vaccinating men. It speaks volumes for why we have to change the way we think about HPV. It's not just scary for women, it's scary and a problem for men too. And it's the responsibility of both genders to be on the lookout for it, to get vaccinated, and to be aware of their status so we can make this virus a thing of the past. HPV causes serious health problems for men and women.

The first thing, and the easiest thing people have to do: get Gardasil.

And the second thing that has to change that's just as important: testing for HPV in men needs to be made available outside of a research setting, period. There's no good reason why not. Why isn't it? No clue, but maybe it's just the myth that it doesn't affect men, so it's not their problem, so there's really no utility in having a test for men, because apparently, you know, knowing your HPV status is useless information. Reason begs to differ. Men deserve to know for the same reason that women deserve to know: so that they can protect themselves and their partners.

Misconception #11: If I know I have HPV, or if I've already had sex, I can't/shouldn't get Gardasil.

Not true. You can and you should get vaccinated, whether you're male or female, between the ages of nine and 26, regardless of whether you've been sexually active or not. Gardasil vaccinates against four types of HPV - two high risk types that cause 70% of all cervical cancers, and two low risk types that cause 90% of genital warts. And even if you do have one type, it's possible you don't have the other three, so you can and should still get the Gardasil shot.

The myth about only being able to get vaccinated if you're a virgin probably stems from the minimum age that boys and girls can get the vaccine - nine years old. The reason the vaccine is available at nine? To reduce the likelihood that the recipient of the shot has already been exposed to one of the types. It definitely doesn't mean that once you've been sexually active, it's too late. It's just that the sooner you're vaccinated, the better, because the vaccine has the best chance of protecting you against all four strains when the likelihood of having already been exposed is lowest. And parents, don't forget: even though your kids might not be having sex yet, HPV can be transmitted without actual intercourse.

Also related to 'the sooner the better' theory when it comes to this vaccination: The #1 risk factor is lifetime number of partners. And that little factoid is probably why Alan Evans refused to report his number of partners - repeatedly - prior to trial.
This is Post #11 in the series, Debunking HPV Myths. For other parts of the series, click here.

Debunking common myths about HPV: A series

So here's the deal: we've been in the middle of a move (finally complete — whew!) and I've been working on this writing for some time now. I'm not finished, and I keep coming across more things I want to add, so I'll post it in parts over time. Welcome to Part 1. UPDATE: I originally posted this series in two big chunks, but after seeing how many people were landing on the page looking for answers about HPV, I decided to break it down into individual myths and answers to ease navigation.

So there's much to discuss. On with the myth debunktion! Get ready to hear from some kooks, and my take on their kookery — I found that they really helped illustrate some excellent points. In other words, they provided the perfect opportunities for some fisking.

DEBUNKING HPV MYTHS
Misconception #1: HPV isn't harmful. It's no big deal.
Misconception #2: All about stains of HPV.
Misconception #3: HPV always says dormant for years and years.
Misconception #4: It's impossible for men to know they have HPV. Or, HPV doesn't affect men.
Misconception #5: I know I have HPV, but I never developed a symptom, or I don't currently have symptoms, so I don't have to tell my partners.
Misconception #6: If you wear a condom, you won't get HPV.
Misconception #7: I might've been exposed to HPV, but it'll take months/years for me to find out, because I have to wait and see if I get symptoms.
Misconception #8: Having a positive HPV test and having symptoms are the same thing.
Misconception #9: I had a normal pap, so that means I don't have HPV.
Misconception #10: The HPV test is always run as part of your pap smear.
Misconception #11: If I know I have HPV, or if I've already had sex, I can't/shouldn't get Gardasil.

For the whole series, click here.

In other news, here's my interview on The Talk with Sharon Osbourne in case you missed it. I'm humbled and honored that I got to speak to millions of viewers on a Friday afternoon, and I had a fabulous time. I met so many wonderful, inspiring, brilliant people — the producers, the crew, and the fellow guests. I'm hearing from hundreds of men and women who want to share their stories and can relate in all kinds of ways. And there's more on the horizon — details to come!

Like I said before, there's one thing I'd change about my interview: I wish I'd had an opportunity to discuss the details about HPV and the prevention of cervical cancer in particular. There wasn't time. That's how TV works, and I knew that going into it. Given that limitation, my hope was that people would look into it on their own — and I know they have, which is even better. But I want to help it happen both ways, so I'm going to blog about the misconceptions I didn't get to bring up that I think are important.

And I hope everyone enjoys the series and finds it helpful. It's a rare occasion, but every now and then I come across people who have no idea what HPV is. However, the majority of those I talk to have at least some knowledge of HPV, and much of this is a result of Merck's Gardasil campaign, which is an excellent resource . The trouble is, even with all the opportunities to get the facts, there are still too many misconceptions about the virus. The danger is when people rely on bad information. I understand that because there are so many strains of HPV, so many factors, and so many potential unknowns, the details can be confusing. But getting the basics right is a huge step in the right direction.