Welcome to the HPV Cancer Resources website!
There’s info here for many different groups:
Patients
There’s lots of information here for HPV positive cancer patients and their caregivers. You’ll find general Patient information and a list of HPV Cancer Support and Advocacy Groups that you can connect with, organized by your particular cancer type or geographic location. I have a variety of Resource tips and advice for both patients and caregivers. You can learn all about the different types of diagnostic scans, as well as cancer staging and treatments for head and neck cancers. The are explanations of what Clinical Trials are all about and how they work. If your cancer has either Recurred or Metastasized (spread from its original location), there’s clinical trial info for those of you who no longer qualify for standard treatments. Feel free to explore and poke around and (hopefully) get a lot of your questions answered.
Parents
Are you trying to decide on whether or not to give your kids the HPV vaccine? You should because it’s both safe and effective, and prevents six different types of cancer. I have an extensive list of FAQ covering this life-saving vaccine on The HPV Vaccine page. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of misinformation and disinformation circulating about the vaccine. I’ve posted many refutations of these falsehoods on my Combatting Anti-Vaccine Misinformation page. And check out the HPV FAQ page if you just want to learn more about the human papilloma virus, and the health problems it causes.
Physicians and Nurses
Lots of great info here for doctors, nurses, dentists, and other healthcare professionals. Nearly 50 detailed FAQ about The HPV Vaccine. Info on the best ways to respond to parents who are vaccine hesitant, along with debunking of anti-vaccine falsehoods, on the Combatting Anti-Vaccine Misinformation page. Basic Epidemiology of HPV Cancers with plenty of shareable graphics, and info on Screening for HPV Cancers. There are also many Resources for Patients and Caregivers that you can share, along with a list of HPV Cancer Support/Advocacy Groups. If you have patients with Recurrent and Metastatic Disease, there’s a page focused on clinical trials for that as well.
Dentists
Screening patients for oral cancers, including those caused by HPV, is part of a dentists job. I have resources here to make your job easier. Check out FAQ#2 on the Screening for HPV Cancers page for info on oral cancer screening, present and future. You can learn about oral Cancer Staging, and post treatment side effects that may arise on the Head and Neck Cancer Treatment page. Info on the the rising incidence of oral HPV-caused cancers is covered in a number of FAQ on the Epidemiology of HPV Cancers page.
Researchers
Unlike most websites that offer only a half dozen or so FAQ about HPV, this one is a much deeper dive, with nearly 150 FAQ spread out across the pages. Answers to the FAQ are extensively sourced and cited, with clickable links to the original papers whenever possible. If you have specific questions, use the search box to find the answer. Basic epidemiology and HPV screening are covered on separate pages as well.
Vaccine Advocates
If you want to advocate for the life-saving HPV vaccine, you’ve come to the right place. Nearly 50 detailed FAQ about The HPV Vaccine. There are links to articles about the best way to respond to parents who are vaccine hesitant, along with debunking of anti-vaccine falsehoods, on the Combatting Anti-Vaccine Misinformation page. And plenty of Basic Info About Vaccines, because we all need a refresher once in a while. I also have a book recommendations page about vaccine history and dealing with the anti-vaccine movement.
My name is Stewart Lyman, and I created and administer this website. Why did I do this? I had five specific goals in mind:
1) To spread awareness about HPV, a virus that causes six different types of cancer in people.
2) To educate parents about, and advocate for, the safe and effective HPV vaccine, which can prevent infection with the virus and thereby block the development of these cancers.
3) To refute misinformation about the safety and efficacy of the HPV (and other) vaccines by anti-vaccine groups that is, unfortunately, widespread on the Internet.
4) To share an organized collection of resources specifically curated for HPV cancer patients and their family members.
5) To provide basic information for all new cancer patients about the different types of scans and cancer treatments, how tumors are staged, how clinical trials work (and how to find one), and much more.
There’s a lot of information available online about HPV-caused cancers, but not all of it’s correct, and tracking it down isn’t easy. I found this out when I was diagnosed with an HPV-caused malignant tonsil tumor in 2016. After recovering from my treatment, I began to assemble the resources to make finding info about these cancers much easier for others. I’ve spent most of my professional career doing cancer research, so I know my way around the science. This background, coupled with the fact that I’ve been an HPV cancer patient, facilitated my compiling of this info. As an HPV-cancer survivor, I especially want others to avoid going through what I, and tens of thousands of HPV-cancer patients, had to endure. That’s why I’m an advocate for the HPV vaccine, a safe and effective way to prevent infection with this cancer causing virus. If you learn nothing else from the resources on this website, please remember this:
Cancer Prevention Beats Cancer Treatment!
I welcome feedback on how I can make this resource more useful, and I’m happy to add additional information if it would be helpful for others. Opinions here are solely my own. I’m a Head and Neck Cancer Alliance Ambassador as well as an American Cancer Society Mission HPV Cancer Free Volunteer Champion. I recently received the Immunization Action Coalition of Washington 2020 Advocate Award for my work to get parents to give their kids the HPV vaccine, and for building this website.
I want to thank the doctors and other medical staff at the University of Washington Medical Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance who provided me with excellent and compassionate care, especially my physician, Dr. Neal Futran. I’d like to dedicate this website to the memory of one of his colleagues that I never met, but who I know was a great help to many head and neck cancer patients. His name was Dr. Eduardo Mendez, and he was a physician-scientist at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He tragically died much too young at the age of 45. You can read about his life and accomplishments here.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
This website is supported entirely by me. I receive no funding or support from pharma or biotech companies, vaccine manufacturers, doctors, patient organizations, or any other group.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
Just to be clear: I am NOT a doctor. The information contained in this website is NOT intended as a recommendation for the self management of health problems, medical conditions, or wellness. It is not intended to endorse or recommend any particular type of medical treatment, physician, or treatment facility. Should any reader have any health care related questions, I strongly suggest you call or consult your physician or healthcare provider before looking into other things on the internet. The information contained in this website should NOT be used by any reader to disregard medical and/or health related advice or provide a basis to delay consultation with a physician or a qualified healthcare provider. HPV Cancer Resources disclaims any liability based on information provided in this website.