Nearly every case of cervical cancer — a whopping 99.7% — is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI). HPV has also been linked to more than 90% of anal cancers and about 69% of vulvar cancers.
And Eileen McGill Fox is battling all three.
Married for nearly 30 years, the mother of four immediately went for an STI screening after learning of her husband’s infidelity in 2017, and was initially negative for syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV.
A year later, though, she discovered during a routine Pap smear she was positive for HPV, which is not screened for in basic STI testing.
She was diagnosed with vulvar cancer two months later, followed quickly by a cervical cancer diagnosis and anal cancer five years after her initial HPV diagnosis.
For the past seven years, she has been undergoing various treatments, including a hysterectomy to address the cervical cancer and regular, painful laser and skin removal procedures on her vulva and in her anal canal to burn away precancerous cells.
There’s no way for Fox to know for sure when she contracted HPV, since some types can lie dormant for years — and even decades. However, most cases clear up on their own within about two years.
HPV has been linked to several types of cancer, including of the cervix, throat, vagina, penis, and head and neck — which is quickly becoming one of the most common types related to the virus.
And research shows that once a person has an HPV-related cancer, they’re at increased risk of developing another.
Doctors say her diseases were preventable with the HPV vaccine — and now Fox is on a mission to educate others.
“When I tell people I have anal cancer, I’m like, ‘It is what it is,’” Fox told the Tampa Bay Times. “Let’s talk about vulvas and anuses and cervixes. Let’s remove the stigma and the shadow language for dealing with it.”
She also says if she had known then what she knows now, she wouldn’t have hesitated to get the vaccine, adding, “If it can happen to a married woman of 30 years, then it can happen to anybody.”
When the HPV vaccine first became available in 2006, Fox didn’t give it a second thought, as she was already married with children.
The vaccine is currently recommended for those aged 9 to 26, with the target age group of 11- and 12-year-olds.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded its recommendations to make the vaccine accessible to people ages 27 to 45 in 2018, but that age group should first consult a doctor to determine the necessity and risks.
Nearly all sexually active people will come into contact with HPV in their lifetime, as the virus is highly contagious and spreads through genital-to-genital contact during intercourse.
While the virus goes undetected and clears up on its own for many, nearly 50,000 people develop cancer.
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