Happy Daysstar Erin Moran died April 22 from throat cancer that had spread to other parts of her body.
Moran’s former costar Scott Baioposted the letter to his Facebook wall.
Her left tonsils were incredibly swollen.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
I thought it was tonsillitis, he wrote.
It got bad so fast, he wrote.
Throat cancer is on the risein large part because of HPV.
Squamous cell carcinomathe key in that Moran hadis the most common key in of throat cancer.
Oropharyngeal cancers used to be rare and always related to chronic smoking and heavy drinking.
Were at the tip of a big epidemic of HPV-related malignancies, Dr. Teknos said.
And this increase of HPV-related cancers is going to continue, experts say.
These adults got the virus 20 to 30 years ago.
But, its incredibly common and the overwhelming majority of people dont develop a malignancy if theyre exposed.
HPV is contagious but usuallyworks its way out of the body.
And it’s also important to remember that not all HPV strains even cause cancer in the first place.
Low-risk HPV can cause skin warts, and some strains don’t have any noticeable impact at all.
Let’s talk about high-risk HPV for a second, thoughthe kind that does cause cancer.
There are about a dozen high-risk HPV types and two16 and 18are responsible for most HPV-caused cancers.
Of those who have high-risk HPV, most will flush the virus without incidentmeaning, won’t get cancer.
Morans case is emblematic of very aggressive HPV-related malignancy, said Dr. Teknos, who did not treat her.
Fortunately, only about 7 to 10 percent [of virus-caused cancer patients] will develop this.
Here are the signs the look out forand how to keep yourself safe.
High-risk HPV-infected individuals have no way of knowing they have the virus, meaning prevention is key.
Its possible to get the vaccine after age 26, but youll have to pay around $500.
“That means every single woman in a nonmonogamous or new relationship, no matter how old you are.
Be aware of it.
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