A South Florida father shared his experience of getting diagnosed with throat cancer that was caused by HPV. NBC 6’s Sheli Muñiz reports
For some people, you never know you have human papillomavirus. For others, HPV could lead to cancer.
Fred Escobedo, a military veteran and a father to five boys, felt symptoms in his throat. Testing later revealed throat cancer in his tonsils.
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“I was hoping somebody would call me back and say oh, we made a mistake, that’s not it. But it was cancer,” Escobedo said.
Escobedo underwent treatment at the Miami Cancer Institute and is currently in remission.
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“It was in a very sensitive area so even to drink water it became a challenge,” he told NBC 6.
Dr. Geoffrey Young, chief of head and neck surgery at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, called HPV "ubiquitous."
"Everyone has been exposed to it,” he said.
The Mayo Clinic defines HPV as the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are more than 100 varieties of HPV.
“We are seeing more virus-related cancers and this particular virus, HPV, causes a certain type of throat cancer that is exponentially increasing in our country,” Dr. Young said.
HPV is everywhere, he said.
“You can be exposed to it from your birth mother, you can be exposed to it from your first kiss, you can be exposed to it in many, many different ways,” Dr. Young said.
People can have HPV and not know it.
“Most people do, most people never get a sign of infection, some people might get minor warts, things like that, but for some people, the body kicks it out of your system,” said Dr. Young.
For some high-risk variants, it lays down its viral DNA, and decades later, tumors evolve from that infection, leading to diseases like cervical cancer or throat cancer, as was the case with tennis legend Martina Navratilova and actor Michael Douglas.
“It’s a bit emotional to talk about this still but you don’t have to go very far to feel the pain and to see people’s faces going through this,” Escobedo said.
While most HPV infections don’t cause cancer, doctors encourage the HPV vaccine, which helps protect against high-risk strains. The CDC recommends the HPV vaccine as early as 9 years old.
For Escobedo, he’s grateful celebrities are shining a light on the condition and grateful for his life.
“I’m happy and I’m blessed that I’m still here,” he said.
The CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for everyone through age 26. Some people over 26 can get it but it’s not recommended for everyone, so talk to your doctor.
