More stories about HPV vaccinations

Last week's Parental Guidance column on whether boys should be vaccinated against HPV moved readers to share their stories:

"I was so excited to see you talking about the Gardasil vaccine for boys. HPV 16 is now showing up in men between 40 and 50 in the throat. Squamous cell carcinoma HPV positive is on the rise. I know this, as my husband and now a dear friend both had it. It lays dormant in boys for up to 30 years. Throat cancer (especially HPV 16) is curable if caught early, but the treatment is radiation, chemo and surgery."

-- Bonnie Spodek, Muttontown

"I'm a 53-year-old guy . . . and now a cancer survivor after an episode last year. Found a lump in my neck . . . I went to an ENT, who took a tissue sample and determined I had a squamous cell carcinoma. After a tonsillectomy and seven weeks of radiation and three doses of chemo, I am cancer-free. . . . Sloan did a biopsy on my tonsil and determined that it was caused by the HPV. When I asked how this came about, they told me that the body normally clears the virus in a year or two, but it sometimes lays dormant and will manifest itself again later on. I did have genital warts in my early 20s, was treated for it and never gave it a second thought. I think it is a great idea for boys as well as girls to be vaccinated against this virus."

-- Bobby Gee, Lindenhurst