hpv and lung cancer

[mamefati28]

Um, did I really just read this?!?!? Hpv linked to lung cancer...what?!?
thoughts?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19019488

[Addy's Mom]

That theory has been around for a while, now. Same with oral cancers, and other cancers of the head and neck. All of them seem to be exacerbated by smoking and/or drinking, so those behaviors seem to always get top billing.

There may be a link, but it's certainly not clear if there's any type of causation. I'm not sure what to do about it, either (other than the vaccine, which has issues itself). I've seen estimates of between 75-90% of all women have had HPV at some point in their adult lives.

[mamefati28]

Good info, Addy's mom.
I was aware of the link between it and the head and neck and anal cancers, but not lung. I thought that it did not *travel* and the virus only affected areas where there had been contact.
Not going to lie, it totally freaked me out!

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by Addy's Mom

There may be a link, but it's certainly not clear if there's any type of causation. I'm not sure what to do about it, either (other than the vaccine, which has issues itself). I've seen estimates of between 75-90% of all women have had HPV at some point in their adult lives.

Folate, at least this study says that. And since I've read, in passing, about people using folate and a few other nutrients after HPV infection to help clear it, it seems worth looking into for anyone concerned.

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cg...act/64/23/8788

Of note: some folks need more folate than others, there's a gene variant out there that increases their need for folate (not supplemental folic acid, there's a conversion issue). Probably wasn't a real issue long ago, when people ate plenty of green stuff they harvested each day, but it's less convenient now.

Here's more on that gene and the other types of health issues that correlate (early strokes, heart disease, some other stuff)...

http://www.detoxpuzzle.com/folate.php
http://www.detoxpuzzle.com/mthfr.php

[Addy's Mom]

Didn't know about the folate, but that makes sense. I know in my family there is a higher incidence of spina bifida because we do not process folic acid properly. So we do need higher amounts than others.

Correlation doesn't always mean causation, and I do think it's important to note most of these co-occurred with smoking and/or drinking, so HPV in itself may not be a cause. It may take some sort of perfect storm to lead to actual cancer. I'm not saying it doesn't bear more research, but I wouldn't be too concerned with it at this point.