The cancer people don’t like to discuss

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Updated: November 27, 2011 1:20PM

W e all know that cancer prevention is an important part of living a long, healthy life, and to that end, we make an effort to eat right, exercise and avoid carcinogens. However, there is a form of cancer that never seems to make much news or spark any fundraiser walkathons, even though there are over 5,300 new diagnoses each year.

It’s a little-discussed cancer that makes some people blush and fidget, yet ignoring it won’t make it go away. Anal cancer is on the rise across the globe, and it has even doubled in some countries in the past two decades. What is the cause for this increase, and is there any way to protect against new cases?

Anal cancer often is linked to HPV which is the most commonly diagnosed STD. Millions of Americans have HPV, and 6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Nor does HPV discriminate based on age. In fact, one in four teenage girls have an STD, and the most common one is HPV. And while HPV can be asymptomatic (many people who have it don’t even realize it), it also comes with serious and life-threatening risks.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that not only could vaccines protect against cervical cancer, but they could work to protect against anal cancer as well. The research followed the results of a new drug, GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix vaccine, which is made by the same pharmaceutical company that makes the Gardasil vaccine. Researchers found that Cervarix prevented 62 percent of HPV-related anal cancers and 77 percent of HPV-related cervical cancers.

Though these results are very encouraging, vaccines such as Cervarix and Gardasil still are only geared toward girls and young women. While vaccines such as these are recommended by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for girls and women ages 11-26, they are not recommending these vaccines for boys and men due to cost concerns. Even though these vaccinations can be invaluable in preventing HPV strains in boys and men, and even though doctors are free to vaccinate male patients if they so desire, the CDC is still not recommending these vaccinations across the board because of financial issues.

We need to come to a common ground where both men and women are equally protected from this risk. If men aren’t vaccinated for the virus, they will continue spreading it to new partners. Although vaccinations and research such as this is costly, it is vastly less expensive when compared to how much it costs to treat the cancers that occur from lack of vaccinations. After all, when it comes to STD prevention, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose!

Dr. Berman hosts “In The Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman” at 9 p.m. Mondays on OWN and “The Dr. Laura Berman Show” from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Oprah Radio (on XM 156/Sirius 195). She is the author of It’s Not Him, It’s You.