I was diagnosed and successfully treated for HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer in 2023. My treatment results were almost perfect, from a clinical perspective. I had transoral robotic surgery to remove the tumors in my mouth / throat, neck dissection to remove cancerous and non-cancerous lymph nodes, and radiation to treat the area after cancer was found to have escaped the lymph nodes.

If I were 10-ish years younger, I wouldn't have gotten cancer. I was likely exposed to HPV in my early to mid 20s, where it hid in my tonsils for decades.

In the US, almost anyone under 45 can get vaccinated. Please do. As another comment points out, they protect against multiple strains. It's unlikely you've been exposed to all of them.

While HPV+ head and neck cancers are more easily and more successfully treated than HPV- ones, I do not recommend getting cancer.

From the outside, I look like a normal person of late middle age. The two incision scars I have look like neck folds -- literally no one, including medical personnel outside of the cancer world, notices them.

From the inside, tho:

* Can no longer taste sugar, salt, chocolate, and a host of other, smaller things. Most other things have less taste and pretty much nothing has a flavor after a few bites. For some, this eventually stops -- I'm unlucky. (Radiation destruction of taste buds)

* Significantly decreased saliva to the throat. Cannot eat without some liquid. The saliva that forms is thicker and sometimes causes problems swallowing. Some get this to the mouth and to a larger extreme -- I'm lucky. (Radiation)

* Dental trauma, including teeth extraction / root canal / deep fillings, may cause spontaneous bone tissue death in the jaw. (Radiation)

* Permanent sensation of partial numbness centered around my left ear and cheek. Touching that area produces a pins and needles sensation. (Neck dissection)

* No feeling in a stripe about 1.5" (4cm) wide where the neck dissection scars are. (Neck dissection)

* Changes in speech quality. These are not clinically significant but changed my voice from one people enjoyed listening to (asked to do voice over work, complemented, etc) to just another voice. (Surgery)

* Tinnitus increased significantly and hearing has worsened. I was not given chemo, the normal cause of hearing loss. (Unsure cause)

There's more, but those are some of the highlights. Get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated, etc.

HPV- head and neck cancers in the US are dropping as people quit smoking. HPV+ are on the rise for now, but will drop as the generations with vaccinations get older.

I'm traveling today, but will look at this later today if anyone has a question to ask.