Sharing a link ... this sounds like important progress towards eventually protecting everyone on the planet from cancer-causing hpv infections and the consequent risks of some genital and head and neck cancers in both women and men :) I'm staying right out of US politics here but I do hope that in the US the currently contentious politics of the issue of hpv vaccinations does not unduly interfere with either the reporting of this issue in their media, or the continuing roll-out of the vaccine to girls and young women, and to boys and young men soon. Panel: Boys should get routine vaccine for HPV www.msnbc.msn.com U.S. vaccine advisers Tuesday voted to recommend that boys should be routinely vaccinated with Merck & Co's Gardasil vaccine to protect them from human papillomavirus or HPV infections, which cause genital warts and oral, penile and anal cancers in boys and men, and cervical cancers in women. .... " One substantial addition needs to be made to the following words in the article's summary above "... which cause genital warts and oral, penile and anal cancers in boys and men, and cervical cancers in women" should read "genital warts and oropharyngeal, penile, peritoneal and anal cancers in boys and men, and cervical cancers and oropharyngeal, vulval, vaginal, peritoneal and anal cancers in women", or words to that effect. If you would like to explore the subject further, there is a very good article on the Oral Cancer Foundation website http://oralcancer.org on the page http://oralcancer.org/hpv/index.htm It includes an embedded 11 minute podcast produced by Johns Hopkins Medicine, which you can also access on its original webpage here http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/audio/podcasts/GillisonPod.html?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4cdeb6620f8568f5,0 It's one of the best media items on research into the link between hpv and oral cancer I've found. Johns Hopkins are among the leaders in research into the link between hpv and some head and neck cancers. An important scientific paper on this subject, "Oropharyngeal cancer epidemic and human papillomavirus", is reproduced on the website of the Oral Cancer Foundation, on this page: http://oralcancernews.org/wp/oropharyngeal-cancer-epidemic-and-human-papillomavirus/ Cheers, Ed. ... View more

Peter Mac media release Wednesday 25 August 2010 Quotes from media release: "For immediate release Wednesday 25 August 2010 Australia’s first cancer survivorship centre launched Minister for Health, Daniel Andrews MP, will today launch the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac), in East Melbourne. The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre has been established at Peter Mac, with funding support from The Pratt Foundation and the Victorian Department of Health. It aims to improve outcomes for people affected by cancer, from diagnosis onwards and after completion of cancer treatments. Director of the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, medical oncologist Associate Professor Michael Jefford said while cancer survival rates are improving, unfortunately many cancer survivors continue to experience side effects, may feel lost or abandoned or may struggle rebuilding their life after cancer. ”Patients often get a pat on the back at the end of treatment. However, support from the hospital quite suddenly disappears. Survivors can feel abandoned and uncertain. They might feel a pressure to try to go back to life as it was before cancer. It’s just not that easy or possible. We need to support people better at this transition period and into life.”" and "The Centre will develop information and resources for patients and carers, will provide education and training for health staff and a vehicle for health professionals and researchers to keep informed and share information and experience. “We will work with patients, carers, survivors, consumer groups, health professionals and with government to ensure that survivors, their families and friends have the information, support and services that they need to stay well and to thrive” said Professor Jefford." {end of quotes from media release} The Survivorship Centre web address is http://www.petermac.org/cancersurvivorship/Home Please do post any comments you have or maybe you would like to post a review or assessment of the Survivorship Centre as a resource :) Cheers, Ed. ... View more