Here’s another unspoken risk. Gay men are increasingly being diagnosed with anal HPV, the virus that causes many of the cervical cancers. This has been severely underplayed despite the marketing of Gardisil to “active” young women. The next Gardisil ad campaign may well target gay men.
This is the first time I’ve heard about that connection. If we are to believe the claims of those marketing Gardisil, they are discriminating against the gay male population and should be held accountable!
Here's an article about a famous woman with anal cancer. Makes you wonder how she got it.
Farrah Fawcett Is Fighting Cancer
Actress Is Reportedly Getting Treatment for Anal CancerWebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MDOct. 13, 2006 -- Former Charlie's Angel Farrah Fawcett faced many foes in her years playing private detective Jill Munroe, but she may now be facing her toughest enemy yet -- cancer.
While her publicist, Mike Pingell, did not confirm the type of cancer, actor Ryan O'Neal told People magazine that Fawcett had been diagnosed with anal cancer, a relatively rare cancer that occurs in the anus. The anal canal is a small section, about an inch and a half long, that connects the rectum to the outside of the body.
"The reason people don't hear so much about anal cancer is not because it's taboo or a body part that we don't often talk about, it is because it is such an uncommon type of cancer," says Debbie Saslow, PhD, director of breast and gynecologic cancer at the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta.
In 2006, there will be 4,660 new cases of anal cancer in the U.S. and about 660 deaths, according to ACS statistics.
When celebrities like Fawcett come forward with a cancer diagnosis, it can raise awareness and often change health behaviors, Saslow tells WebMD.
"When [CBS anchorwoman] Katie Couric talked about colon cancer, she really increased awareness about screening, but with anal cancer, we don't have screening, so we won't see the same behavior change," she says.