I turn 60 in a few weeks, and I’ll be honest: sometimes it feels like I’m sitting on a time bomb.
Not because I have a cancer. Not because I’m expecting bad news. But because I grew up in a generation that was taught nothing about HPV — not what it is, not how common it is, and certainly not that it can lead to cancers, including cancers in the mouth and throat.
Now here’s the twist: I’m also a trustee of the Throat Cancer Foundation. I spend a lot of my time trying to get the message out about prevention and early diagnosis. I know the signs. I know what to push for. I know how easily people get fobbed off with “it’ll clear up” when something doesn’t feel right.
And yet… I still feel it. That uncomfortable sense that for people my age, there’s a blind spot we didn’t choose — we inherited it.
HPV isn’t “someone else’s problem”
HPV (human papillomavirus) is incredibly common, and most people will be exposed to it at some point. For most, it causes no harm and clears on its own. But in a small number of cases, persistent high-risk HPV can cause changes that, over time, can turn into cancer.
This matters for throat cancer because the link is real, established, and growing. Cancer Research UK estimates HPV causes around half of oropharyngeal cancers in the UK (that area includes the tonsil and the base of tongue).
So when people talk about HPV like it’s only about cervical cancer, it’s not just incomplete — it’s misleading.
The vaccine changed the landscape (but not for everyone)
The HPV vaccine is one of the most straightforward cancer-prevention tools we’ve got. In the UK, the routine adolescent programme moved to a single-dose schedule from September 2023.
For younger people, that’s huge. It means a simple intervention, at the right time, can help reduce the risk of HPV-related cancers later in life. The NHS is clear that the HPV vaccine helps protect against cancers including throat and mouth cancers.
But here’s the uncomfortable bit: if you’re my age, you weren’t offered it. There was no consent form coming home from school. No Year 8 jab. No normalised conversation. Just a silent gap — and decades of people not realising this virus was even relevant to throat cancer.
Why this hits home for me
I’ve got a 21-year-old son. And while I can’t rewind time for my generation, I can do something for his.
So I’m getting him vaccinated.
If you’re reading this and thinking “hang on — can my son/daughter still get it?”, the answer is: possibly, but it’s eligibility-based. Across the UK, there are catch-up routes up to age 25 for people who are eligible, but the rules depend on cohort and nation. For example, in England it’s free up to the 25th birthday for all girls under 25, and for boys born on or after 1 September 2006.
In Scotland, NHS inform also notes you may be able to get it up to 25 if you’re eligible, and advises checking with your local NHS immunisation team.
The blunt advice: don’t assume — check. Ring your GP or your local immunisation team and ask the direct question: Am I (or is my child) eligible for HPV catch-up vaccination, and what’s the fastest route to get it done?
So what do people like me do?
If you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond, the focus shifts. You can’t change what you weren’t offered — but you can change how quickly you act on signs and symptoms.
That’s where I live mentally: awareness, vigilance, and zero tolerance for “let’s just wait and see” when something persists.
Symptoms to take seriously include:
- a mouth ulcer that doesn’t heal
- a lump in the neck
- persistent sore throat
- pain or difficulty swallowing
- red or white patches in the mouth or throat
- speech/voice problems
- unexplained weight loss
And if you’re worried about being dismissed, here’s a useful anchor: Cancer Research UK summarises referral guidance that, in Scotland, flags head and neck symptoms lasting more than 3 weeks (such as an unexplained lump, ulceration in the mouth, red/white patches, a hoarse voice, painful swallowing or persistent painful throat) as reasons for specialist referral. So come on the rest of the UK.
That’s not about panic. It’s about not losing months to “probably nothing” when the whole point of early diagnosis is catching problems while treatment is simpler and outcomes are better.
The point of this article
This isn’t me trying to scare anyone. It’s me being honest about something a lot of people quietly feel: we didn’t get the memo, and it’s unsettling.
But we can do two practical things:
- Protect the next generation — get the HPV vaccine done if you’re eligible, and don’t let a missed consent form become a missed chance.
- Protect ourselves — know the signs, and act early if something doesn’t settle. It’s your body, you know when something isn’t right.
If you’re a parent, this is one of those moments where “I’ll do it later” can cost you. If you’re my age, don’t carry the worry alone — turn it into action: stay alert, get checked, and push when you need to.
If you’re eligible for the HPV vaccine, get it done — and don’t let it drift. If you’re not eligible, don’t carry quiet worry: turn it into action by knowing the warning signs and getting persistent symptoms checked early. (nhs.uk )
And if you want to help us close the gap my generation lived with — the gap in awareness, the gap in prevention, and the gap in early diagnosis — please back our work.
Support #BeThroatCancerAware
- Donate to our Know the Signs Campaign (and add Gift Aid if you can): https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/throatcancerfoundation
- Share the campaign with five people who won’t already follow a cancer charity
- Start a fundraiser — small personal fundraisers are how this grows
Thank you for helping us protect the next generation — and get more people diagnosed earlier.
Gordon Dow, Trustee, the Throat Cancer Foundation
#ThroatCancer #BeThroatCancerAware #HPV #HumanPappilomavirus #HeadAndNeckCancer #IfInDoubtGetCheckedOut #KnowTheSigns
