HPV

Why can I not get an oral HPV test?

Worried about throat cancer and I cannot find anywhere that will test my mouth for HPV.

plain_paper 5 months ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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second_tuesday 5 months ago

There is no validated screening test for oral HPV in routine use. Tests that detect it in saliva exist in research settings but they do not predict who will develop cancer, which is what a screening test needs to do.

A positive would tell you something extremely common is present and nothing about what to do next.

oak_table 5 months ago

What exists instead is examination. Dentists and doctors look at the mouth and throat, and anything persistent gets investigated. Regular dental visits are genuinely the practical version of what you are asking for.

west_pier 5 months ago

Vaccination is the other half. It is expected to reduce these cancers over time, which is a large part of why programmes became gender neutral.

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