0:00:02 > 0:00:05We all know that having unprotected sex can give you STDs
0:00:05 > 0:00:06like herpes or gonorrhoea.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But there's also one that can give you cancer - HPV -
0:00:09 > 0:00:10human papillomavirus.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12You can even get it through oral sex,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14which can then lead to oral cancer.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's still rare, but the numbers are rising
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and it's happening more in younger patients.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21I'm Jaime Winstone,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25and I know what it's like to watch someone close to me fight cancer.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30My good friend Paul had colon cancer and recently died.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33He was only 27.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36He used to DJ here.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43You know, he was such a big ball of energy.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46He was amazing. You'd meet him and just be blown away by this person.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50# Your back's against the wall There's no-one home to call
0:00:50 > 0:00:54# You're forgetting who you are You can't stop crying. #
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Just knowing that we're not going to hear his tunes
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and we're not going to hear...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I'm not going to get Paul,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04you know? And, um...it's just...
0:01:06 > 0:01:07It's really sad.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17It's really hit home.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19You know, his cancer couldn't be beaten.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23It was colon cancer, and there's not really a way to prevent it.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29But cancer from HPV, the human papillomavirus, can be prevented.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33A simple vaccination can stop it, that's all it takes,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35but it's only being given to girls.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Why isn't the jab being offered
0:01:37 > 0:01:40to young boys as well as young girls?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Why isn't there...
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Just, you know, I want an explanation. I want to know why.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05I vaguely heard about HPV through having my smear tests
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and I thought it was something that girls could get
0:02:08 > 0:02:10that could cause cervical cancer.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16I'd never, ever made the connection in my head between HPV and sex,
0:02:16 > 0:02:22let alone oral sex, which... even saying it sounds unbelievable.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Also, that it's something that doesn't just affect women,
0:02:28 > 0:02:29it affects men, too.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33I'm a sexually active person.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38I want to know at what risk I'm putting myself by having sex.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I don't know much about HPV,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43but now I know that it's something that could cause cancer,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47I want to find out as much as I possibly can.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05OK, so I'm on my way to New Haven to meet a guy who's in his 30s
0:03:05 > 0:03:09who's got oral cancer that's linked to HPV.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12This, for me, is making it very real.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15It'll be good to talk to someone about the actual effects
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and how it's affected their lives.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Darren is 31 years old and lives on the East Sussex coast.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35He's been with his girlfriend since he was 17.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Last year, his world fell apart when he was diagnosed with oral cancer,
0:03:44 > 0:03:45caused by HPV.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- Hi, Darren.- Hiya. - How are you?- How are you?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Thanks for coming to talk to me.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- No worries. - Well, letting me talk to you.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- No worries. - How's it all going?- Yeah, good.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10- Yeah?- Yes.- Darren, how did you first realise when you got cancer?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I just had a sore throat.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15It wasn't painful, my tonsils were inflamed.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19A gland was up on my neck.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I thought nothing of it. I thought,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24sore throat, blah, blah, blah.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30My partner said, keep on going down to the doctors.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I went all the way down to the doctors said she said,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38"It's got to be something serious", and that was it.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43That was when I got told - in May time, when I went for the biopsy -
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- that it was cancerous.- That obviously was a really massive shock to you?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Yeah, I just shut down. I had my tonsils out.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53In between your tonsils, there's a gland.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I had the gland out as well.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I've got a big scar inside my throat that goes all the way down.
0:04:59 > 0:05:06The chemo side of it, the three months, I felt really bad.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I lost all my hair, the whole lot, top-to-bottom.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I just felt sick all the time. Tired every ten minutes.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15That's kind of the main side effect?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- That's it.- So, you just felt yourself go quite down?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I went really down. I just wanted to give up.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Did you think of anything that might have caused it?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Were you aware of...
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Personally, I thought it was smoking.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31And how many do you smoke a day, just for curiosity?
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Seven, eight a day, roll-ups. I'd smoke half of it and just flick it.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And what did your doctor say when you said,
0:05:38 > 0:05:39"Is it because of smoking?"
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I asked him, actually. I said, "Is it due to smoking?"
0:05:42 > 0:05:46And he sat me down and said, "It's due to sex." So, yeah.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Due to oral sex? That's quite...
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I didn't believe him at first.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53You find it quite unbelievable. I found it quite unbelievable.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57It is. I mentioned it to my mates, and they go,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59"How many people have you done it to?"
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Only one. You know. And they go, "No!"
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But it is, I swear, it's only one.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11It just goes to show that this HPV thing is in us, is out there.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12That's it, yeah.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15You don't necessarily need to be sleeping around.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19You've been with the same woman. You know, you start questioning things.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Personally, I kept it all to myself.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I didn't want to tell anyone it was due to sex.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- Everybody looks at you funny, going, "That's dirty!"- Yeah.- It's not that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Everybody takes the wrong end of the stick and thinks, ugh...
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- But it's not.- Does it affect your relationship at all?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- Sex wise?- Yeah.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Yeah. I was a bit scared.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Is it going to come back, if, you know, anything happens again?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50If we get intimate, is going to come...?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- A bit of pressure on it.- Three, four months, five months, no nothing.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I just didn't want to.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59It's really cool that, you know,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02you've sat here and talked to me about that stuff today.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It's not easy to talk about that.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06You've been through quite a lot,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- so thank you so much. - No worries, thank you.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I'm looking forward to meeting your wife - your girlfriend!
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- Maybe to be?- Yes!
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Most oral cancers are caused by smoking and drinking
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and are seen more in older people.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28Darren's HPV cancer is rare, but is diagnosed more in younger patients.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39We used to live in a flat exactly like this.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- There was always loads of kids. - Yeah.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42That's the best bit.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I want to find out what impact Darren's cancer has had
0:07:48 > 0:07:49on his other half, Karen.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52You're taking me back down memory lane a little bit.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- That's good.- This one here?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- Just this door here, yeah.- OK.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- Hi, Karen. - Hiya. You all right?- I'm Jaime.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Hi, Jaime.- Nice to meet you. - How you doing? Come on in.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Thank you, very much. - How have you been, you all right?
0:08:09 > 0:08:13I'm very well, thank you. We've just been having a nice little chat.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Well, thank you, Kaz and Daz, for having me here.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- I noticed you've got matching tattoos.- Yeah.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Is that a bit of an addiction of yours going on?
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Yeah, I've got Daz.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36You've got one, to help you with your cancer, wasn't it?
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Have you? Can I have a look?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- I don't mind.- You sure?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42It's on his back, so it's like, strip!
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Strip!
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Sorry, I come into your house and make you strip.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47We'll let you off!
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- You all right there?- Yeah, fine.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Oh, wow, you've really got loads. That's a really cool one as well.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Oh, cool.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59"I look to the sky and what do I see?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02"A castle, a rainbow and dreams for me.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05"And end to this battle that I must fight,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08"to rid my feelings of depression and fright.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12"An end to cancer is not far away, it will be there some day."
0:09:12 > 0:09:15That's gorgeous. That's really lovely.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17That's really, really nice.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- It's really special. - It's the only way I could...
0:09:19 > 0:09:21It's a way of getting away with it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Obviously, that really helped you getting through.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26What about you, Karen?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29I kept a written diary.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34Obviously, he had me to offload onto but I didn't have anyone else.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I was like, you know, "Having a bad day, blah, blah, blah,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40"beep, beep, beep!", and I just stuck it all in there.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45I also took, going through your radiotherapy,
0:09:45 > 0:09:46I took a lot of photos.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- Too many.- So you documented it? - Shut up. Definitely.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- He hated it.- It was too many!
0:09:52 > 0:09:57- Can I see the pictures? - Yeah, they're in here.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59So this is how you documented it?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02You can see the change in his neck.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03What's that?
0:10:03 > 0:10:07It's just burns from the radiotherapy.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- And that's really painful? - It was really sore, yeah.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- I can imagine it. Really? - And then the changes were starting.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- It started to blister?- It didn't blister, you just lost your skin.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Your skin was dying.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Oh, it looks so painful.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- And this is the usual side-effects of radiotherapy?- Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27There's the mask, there, that he had to wear through his radiotherapy.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- Have you got that?- Yeah, I do.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- I can show you.- This is just..
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And you'd have to wear this?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35These were on the sides.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37You get strapped to the bed.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39All this gets locked in.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Feel it, it's just so hard.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43And then it was just zapped through that?
0:10:43 > 0:10:50Yeah. All them... That's where they line you up with the laser.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52All these, that's where they were zapping.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Wow. This is all really shocking, to be honest.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57How do you deal with that, Karen?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Did you know... Were you aware of what HPV was?
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I wasn't.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Cancer doesn't happen to us.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It was like, you never think it's going to happen to you,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09especially at our age.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11So when he was seeing the oncology,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15he said it was through sex. We just looked at each other.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I was like, "What? What you mean?"
0:11:17 > 0:11:20We didn't really ask him many questions.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22He just said it was about that.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I was like that. He was like, "So you gave me that, then?"
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I was like, "If you want to blame me, blame me, it doesn't matter."
0:11:28 > 0:11:32It was still a shock, that I probably gave it to him.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35I just think that it was all my fault.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38What sort of pressure - that must have put
0:11:38 > 0:11:40immense pressure on you two, really?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I didn't, you know... It was water off a duck's back and it's happened.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I didn't do it on purpose.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I couldn't have done anything different to stop it.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It's really weird, because before you have children,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54you know, you're obviously...
0:11:54 > 0:11:55That experimental period.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59You like to get a bit fruity, as you've got the time.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I think with having kids, it's not something...
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Oral sex isn't the sort of thing you have time to do.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08You know, it's not... You can't do it and then kiss your kids.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10It just doesn't seem right.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14It's not something that we did on a regular basis after we had the kids.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15It's, like, a while back.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Tia's 12 and Leo's seven.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20You know, and when they're saying about oral sex, you think,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22"God, that could have been years back."
0:12:22 > 0:12:27It's just scary, the fact that what I've passed to him has created
0:12:27 > 0:12:32inside him a cancer that could have been from years ago,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36when we were able to have some more time.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Fun.- Fun, yeah.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- Fun, yeah! - Naughty, cheeky, harmless fun.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It's just insane. It really is insane.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Yeah, definitely, that it's just sitting inside
0:12:48 > 0:12:50like a time bomb, sort of thing.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52It's just sitting there, festering.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56And then, you just pass on the virus and it just triggers it off.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's just mental.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Daz is such a sweet person.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14He's got through the worst of his cancer
0:13:14 > 0:13:17but the risk of it coming back still hangs over him.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It's always in the back of my mind that it could come back.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Touch wood it won't, never.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Who can tell?
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Sometimes, I don't speak to Karen for a whole day.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Sometimes, I just go out for a walk somewhere.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38That's how I can deal with it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52I still can't get my head around the fact that Daz caught a virus
0:13:52 > 0:13:54through oral sex, which caused his cancer.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00It makes me think, what exactly is this human papillomavirus?
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Today, were travelling to Cambridge University
0:14:10 > 0:14:12to meet Professor Margaret Stanley,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15who's the queen bee of HPV.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19I think she's going to fill in the gaps for me about this
0:14:19 > 0:14:23vaccine and answer a load of questions I have about that.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25I'm quite excited to meet her,
0:14:25 > 0:14:30- because I hear she's pretty intelligent, pretty amazing.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Margaret is a Fellow at Christ's College.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48She's dedicated her life to HPV research
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and has even been awarded an OBE for it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Pretty impressive stuff.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58I suppose the first thing I want to ask is, how do you get the virus?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01And what it is?
0:15:01 > 0:15:05HPV is a little virus that lives in the skin.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09You've got to remember, the skin just doesn't cover your outside.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14There's a skin like covering in your mouth, your throat, your vagina,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17the anus, that's the back passage.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20This virus lives in all those places.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24It's a virus that doesn't get into the bloodstream.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26It only lives in the skin.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28You get it, basically, from sex.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32So, if you have vaginal sex, you get it in the cervix and the vagina.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36If you have anal sex, or on the outside of the anus,
0:15:36 > 0:15:37you get it in the anus.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40If you have oral sex, you get it in the mouth.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41So, oral sex isn't safe?
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- In a word, no.- No.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Lots of teens, particularly, have oral sex
0:15:48 > 0:15:50because they won't get pregnant.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I have to tell them, that's the only thing they won't get.
0:15:53 > 0:15:59I mean, oral sex is sex, and so you get transmission of
0:15:59 > 0:16:06whatever you've got on your genitalia, OK? That includes HPV.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Interestingly, it's easier for a guy to acquire HPV
0:16:10 > 0:16:16from his female partner than for a woman to get HPV from a man.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21So, if a guy is having oral sex with a girl,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25he's more likely to acquire HPV in his mouth than
0:16:25 > 0:16:30the woman is likely to acquire HPV, if she's doing a blow job on the guy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I always blame Clinton and Lewinsky.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Nobody knew what oral sex was before then.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38And frankly, babes in their cradles do it now.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Say if a guy was watching this now
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and he's had more than five sexual partners,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49or performed oral sex with five or more women or men,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52what would your advice be to him,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55to not send him into a panic of, "Oh, my God, I've got HPV"?
0:16:55 > 0:16:59First of all, it's a very common virus.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01You and I will have had it.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04You're likely to get it, I'll certainly have had it.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Just about everybody acquires this virus.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Nearly all of us get rid of it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13But there are about, oh, one in ten people
0:17:13 > 0:17:16who don't manage to get rid of the virus.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Because their immune systems, for one reason or another, can't handle it.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22The likelihood is, you're fine.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27So, don't worry. As they say in Dad's Army, don't panic.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Don't panic.- Don't panic.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32But there's a serious side to this.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Because in the last couple of years,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38there's been a lot of information come out.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42It shows that cancer, caused by HPV in the mouth,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45is higher than we thought.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50More concerningly, it's going up at a very steep rate.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55HPV, the human papillomavirus, is very common.
0:17:55 > 0:17:5980% of the sexually active population has it.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07It's usually spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12Which, in some people, could lead to cervical, anal, and oral cancer.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Cervical cancer kills over 1,000 women a year.
0:18:21 > 0:18:28So, in 2008, the NHS started to give the HPV vaccine to all schoolgirls.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Boys weren't seen as a priority.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35The theory was, if the girls got the jab,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38they couldn't pass the virus on to the boys anyway.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45But as Margaret says, HPV oral cancer is rising.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49And even though it's still rare,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53new research says that men get it five times more than women.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58So, surely HPV is something guys really need to be up on?
0:19:03 > 0:19:08What I want to know today is, if teenage boys are even aware of HPV,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12especially as they're the ones that aren't offered the jab against it.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Are they even aware that there's a virus
0:19:16 > 0:19:20you can catch through oral sex which can lead to cancer?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And, you know,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27even if they were offered the jab, would they have it anyway?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37TRIBAL-INFLUENCED DANCE MUSIC
0:19:44 > 0:19:46This dance crew is all 18 and under.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56The boys have different levels of sexual experience.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00But how clued-up are they on the risks of having sex?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Woo! That was awesome. I want to see it again.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14You're a joker.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16He cracks me up with his faces.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19That was wicked, man. Thank you very much.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22And you've been working on that for like two months?
0:20:22 > 0:20:23- Two months, yeah.- Good. Nice one.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25I think we're going to sit down
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and have a chat about some things now, if that's OK? Yeah?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29So, if I go round and ask you
0:20:29 > 0:20:33what sexually-transmitted diseases you are aware of...
0:20:33 > 0:20:38Um, herpes, Chlamydia, um, crabs.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- Gonorrhoea and herpes. - Yeah.- Not for me.- Not for you?
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Not for anyone. Hopefully!
0:20:46 > 0:20:53Yeah, syphilis. And hep... I don't know how to pronounce it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Hepatitis. And do you know of any risks
0:20:55 > 0:20:57that you can have with oral sex?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Are you aware of anything like that?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- I haven't got a clue.- No?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05How many of you think that oral sex is safe?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08When you're having sex, half of your mind is on pregnancy.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Oral sex, you know they're not going to get pregnant,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14so I think they are less worried about having oral.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I think they think it's safer.
0:21:17 > 0:21:1950% is all about pregnancy.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22As I said, you're not getting...
0:21:22 > 0:21:25pregnant from oral, are you?
0:21:25 > 0:21:29So that's like the main concern, really, in young guys.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30That can change your life.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Once you get the person pregnant, your life's over.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36There's a sexually transmitted disease
0:21:36 > 0:21:39that you may not have heard about called HPV.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40What does it stand for?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- Human papillomavirus, basically. - Human...popa...
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Hopalopola!
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Human papillomavirus.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51How many of you know what HPV is?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Never heard of it.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Never heard of it?
0:21:55 > 0:22:00I haven't heard about it much, I've just heard it from girls in college
0:22:00 > 0:22:03saying that is why they are getting an injection that day.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04That's pretty much it.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And do you know what it was for? Do you know why? Was you told why?
0:22:07 > 0:22:11They just told me it's like a new virus that girls can catch.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So... I thought, OK, cool.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Did it raise any bells in your head, make you think, well...?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19If I'm talking to females about a jab
0:22:19 > 0:22:22that they are supposed to be getting for cervical cancer,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24they haven't actually described it
0:22:24 > 0:22:27as something that males should take as well as females.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32So we kind of took it like, OK, it's only for females, sort of thing.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Males don't even need it at all.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Well, HPV is basically a virus you can catch through oral sex,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43through oral contact, by going down on your girlfriend, basically.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Stuff like that. Something that boys and girls can carry as well.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49How does that make you feel,
0:22:49 > 0:22:55that girls are getting offered this jab in school and not boys?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58That is unfair. I don't know why they can give it to girls
0:22:58 > 0:22:59and not boys. That's stupid.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02They've come to my college and done it with girls, but I think
0:23:02 > 0:23:05they should have come with boys and educate us about it.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08We just see girls getting jabs, we haven't got a clue what's going on.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Yeah, I agree with Moses.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12It's kind of disrespectful.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16We should be able to learn about the virus
0:23:16 > 0:23:21so we won't be able to catch it and also like, give us an opportunity
0:23:21 > 0:23:24to get a jab if we want it as well.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31These guys are pretty switched on,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35but they say no-one's given them the facts about HPV.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38They want to know about it and they want to protect themselves.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So, if this cancer from oral sex is on the rise,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44exactly how big is the problem going to get?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52OK, so today we're off to Coventry.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56I'm going to meet a leading head and neck surgeon
0:23:56 > 0:23:59at University College Hospital.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03He has the latest research on oral cancer and HPV.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I'm quite nervous.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I've been invited to watch a full-on face operation.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17It's a real first for me.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Mr Hisham Mehanna is the director
0:24:28 > 0:24:31of the Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education
0:24:31 > 0:24:33at the University Hospital, Coventry.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37He spent the last 18 months doing major research
0:24:37 > 0:24:42into how big a problem HPV-related oral cancer really is.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The day starts early in theatre.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01So, you can scrub on that side.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Put your hands under there and just wet them.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Just make sure you don't touch anything with your hands.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Have you had much breakfast this morning?
0:25:10 > 0:25:11No, I decided not to eat.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- That's probably wise.- Yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16You've not done...
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Anything like this.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21I've done theatre, but a different kind of theatre.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27Right, OK. Fair enough! That's it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29I'm actually quite excited.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I'm going to find out exactly where in the mouth HPV cancer attacks.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Excellent, wow. Like a pro.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I just have to hold it together.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40SHE SIGHS
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Can I have some big swabs, please? Thanks.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Eight years ago, this patient had one tonsil removed
0:25:48 > 0:25:51in an operation for oropharyngeal cancer.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54But this poor guy's radiotherapy has made his jaw crumble,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55so the surgical team
0:25:55 > 0:25:59are going to take the bone from his arm to rebuild his jaw.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03It's all very intense.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And detailed.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I can't really believe what I'm watching, to be honest. It's insane.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Can I have a swab, please?
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Normally, surgeons treat HPV oral cancer with chemo and radiotherapy.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22This operation is the worst case scenario for a patient,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24when things haven't gone to plan.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Are you all right?- Yeah, I'm fine.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31OK. Tell me if at any point here you're concerned, OK?
0:26:31 > 0:26:33You can see the beginning of the bone.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And then you're going to work round to where it's...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38crumbled, if that's the word.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39That's right.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- OK, if you give me a tongue retractor, please.- So, where would...
0:26:43 > 0:26:48I mean, the HPV related cancer site, would this be the area?
0:26:48 > 0:26:53HPV related cancers tend to affect two places.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57The tonsil, and the back of the tongue, most commonly.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And you can just about see it there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03But it is a very difficult area to see.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06But also, even in the clinic, just trying to screen, see the tonsils,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09the back of the tongue, is not an easy thing to do
0:27:09 > 0:27:12without specialised equipment, basically.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14You wouldn't be able to discover this
0:27:14 > 0:27:16with self-examination?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18No, that's exactly right.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23It's a hard area to examine on your own, and that's why people often
0:27:23 > 0:27:28will come to us after the tumour has spread to the neck.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30- Until this point of operation.- Yeah.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35They only come... They don't often come when it's very small.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38They often come when it's much bigger because
0:27:38 > 0:27:42they then see things on the outside, like a lump in the neck or whatever.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46So what we're going to do now is we are going to divide the jawbone.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- Are you all right?- Yeah. - Are you sure?- Yeah, I'm fine.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56OK. You're doing really well.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Why is it that area in particular that is affected by HPV?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Well, you know, this is a very good question.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We really don't know why that is the case.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07We have theories,
0:28:07 > 0:28:12and one of the theories is that that area, the tonsil and
0:28:12 > 0:28:17the back of the tongue, has a lot of lymphoid tissue, immune tissue,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22and it seems that the HPV virus favours that area and enters it.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28I'm completely in shock, basically.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30A bit of someone's jaw has just been taken away.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33I don't know how I got through that, to be honest.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I got a bit wobbly. I'm feeling, like, really emotional now.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40It kind of makes me a little bit angry.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44When you just think of something so simple, like a jab,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46like a vaccination,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49that people are just blissfully unaware of, you know?
0:28:49 > 0:28:55Why isn't this pushed further to stop a virus that can then obviously
0:28:55 > 0:28:58turn into...is proven to turn into something so cancerous
0:28:58 > 0:29:00and such a heavy procedure?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03For me, it's a non-brainer.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10So exactly what is the scale of the HPV cancer problem?
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Hisham is the man who knows.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Recently, we've seen reports in some studies suggesting that
0:29:24 > 0:29:28the percentage of oropharyngeal cancers that are caused by HPV
0:29:28 > 0:29:30has risen sharply. So, patients who were
0:29:30 > 0:29:35diagnosed in the year 2000 and before the year 2000,
0:29:35 > 0:29:40only about a third of them had HPV oropharyngeal cancer.
0:29:40 > 0:29:46But looking at the most recent group, in the last five years,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48this has gone up to 70%.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So that's pretty much more than double.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56And we're now seeing one of two patients a week in my clinic
0:29:56 > 0:29:58who have that type of disease.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03Whereas in the past, oropharyngeal cancer only ten years ago
0:30:03 > 0:30:07was very rare, and you'd go a couple of months without seeing a patient.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09So there is a significant increase.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11And it's only been in the last five years
0:30:11 > 0:30:14that we really started becoming quite aware of it.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20I met a guy, a 31-year-old guy, who's had HPV-related cancer.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24He's been with the same sexual partner since the age of 17.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26What are the chances of it coming back?
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Is it something that they are going to have to constantly worry about?
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Out patients actually respond to chemo and radiotherapy
0:30:33 > 0:30:34and to the treatments really well.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38And so the chance of it coming back is low.
0:30:38 > 0:30:45There is a about a 10-15% chance of it coming back over five years.
0:30:45 > 0:30:52And that is higher if the patient has been or is a smoker,
0:30:52 > 0:30:57as well as having HPV oropharyngeal cancer.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01So there is a chance that it can come back,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05but it's not as high as other types of head and neck cancer.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07What would be his situation
0:31:07 > 0:31:10when coming to having oral sex with his partner?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- Would he be able to have it? - That's a really good question.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18And the honest answer is, we don't know for sure what the risk is.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23And this is definitely at the very forefront of science.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24It's too early to know
0:31:24 > 0:31:27whether people should change their sexual practices
0:31:27 > 0:31:32once they've got HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34or even an HPV oral infection.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Does anybody actually understand?
0:31:36 > 0:31:41I mean, do we know why the virus can turn cancerous?
0:31:41 > 0:31:46Well, we know a little bit about how the virus causes cancer.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51What we don't know is why certain people, when they're infected,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54develop the cancer, whilst most other people,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57when they're infected, don't develop the cancer.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59That is one of the really important questions
0:31:59 > 0:32:02that we are trying to work on at this moment in time.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Hisham's research says the number of HPV oral cancer are rising
0:32:08 > 0:32:13at a faster rate than mouth cancer, caused by smoking and drinking.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19His new figures show there are now around 700 cases every year,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22of which at least 600 are men.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25And with no jab available to them on the NHS,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28it's the guys who are left unprotected.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31So, what's the deal for the boys?
0:32:32 > 0:32:36They could visit a private clinic like this one.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39But they'd better be feeling flush,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43because they'd have to fork out between £300 and £400.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- Hello, Jaime.- Nice to meet you. Thanks for seeing me.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53'Richard Dawood is a doctor in the vaccination business
0:32:53 > 0:32:57'and today he's giving his 13-year-old son, Jamie, the HPV jab.'
0:32:57 > 0:32:59- Hi, Jamie.- Hi.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Nice to meet you. I'm Jaime too.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Thanks for letting me sit in today.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- And you're going to have the vaccination.- That's right.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Very exciting. Are you excited? Are you all right?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Well, I don't want to get neck or mouth cancer, so...
0:33:12 > 0:33:17So you are aware of it? That's good. How much do you know about it?
0:33:17 > 0:33:23I know that the actual injection is to fight against cervix cancer,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27but it also stops neck and mouth cancer in boys.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- Why don't you have a seat here? - OK, cool.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32I'll just go and get the vaccine from the fridge.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36You're quite educated in it. I wish I was that educated when I was 13.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Obviously, you wanted to ask why you're having the vaccine.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44Two reasons. One, I know that girls have a cervix and boys don't,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47so I was wondering why I was getting the cervix jab.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51And two, cos my cousin, when she had to have her cervix jab,
0:33:51 > 0:33:54she had to be restrained because she has a phobia of needles.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57She said it was horrible. "Argh!"
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I don't think it's just the phobia of needles.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05I think she's paranoid that it's going to hurt. Jabs don't hurt.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Right, Jamie, are you all set?
0:34:07 > 0:34:09- No air bubbles?- No air bubbles.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10Just hitch up the sleeve.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13OK. It just takes two seconds to do.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Ready, steady, go.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- Done.- Seriously?- That's it.- Cool.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- OK.- Thank you, Jamie.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Thank you very much.
0:34:23 > 0:34:29I mean, obviously if you're some sort of doctor and you get a reduced price in terms of the vaccination,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33maybe not a lot, maybe not full price, but if you're just like
0:34:33 > 0:34:39the general public or parent, would you still fork out £400 for this jab?
0:34:39 > 0:34:46That's a difficult question. Clearly I have chosen to do it because I'm deeply involved in vaccines.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51It's still an expensive vaccine and I could have done something else
0:34:51 > 0:34:55with the money instead of spending it on this.
0:34:55 > 0:35:01But at the end of the day, it's for each parent to prioritise their choices.
0:35:01 > 0:35:08We get many parents who come here and do decide to offer it to their girls and boys.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12But if they can't afford it, then they...
0:35:12 > 0:35:14may have better things to do with £400.
0:35:14 > 0:35:21How did you explain to Jamie, your son, about this jab?
0:35:21 > 0:35:25I find it would be a tricky subject to kind of mention to your son.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30I don't see this vaccine as being part of a discussion about sex
0:35:30 > 0:35:34or how HPV is necessarily transmitted.
0:35:34 > 0:35:42It was simply a matter of me and my wife explaining that this HPV virus
0:35:42 > 0:35:47is linked to head and neck cancer, and he was very accepting of it.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51So there was never any detailed discussion about it.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Certainly if he'd asked,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56or wanted to know more about it, I would have explained.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Thank you. One more question, can I have a lollipop?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02- Absolutely.- Thanks!
0:36:02 > 0:36:05I've been staring at them.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Thank you very much, Richard, for seeing me.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Thank you for coming.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15The Government is banking on boys not catching HPV,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19because vaccinated girls can't pass it on.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Giving us a wonderful HPV-free world.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Something called herd immunity.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Not much comfort if you're gay.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35And there's another problem.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40Right now, as it stands, it's down to the girls to protect the boys,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42as they're the only ones being offered the jab.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46But the older girls, the 16 to 18-year-old girls,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48aren't having it for some reason.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52So what I want to know is, are they aware of not only are they
0:36:52 > 0:36:57not protecting themselves, but they are also not protecting
0:36:57 > 0:36:59the men, or the boys?
0:36:59 > 0:37:04It'll be quite interesting to talk to these girls and find out what's at the bottom of this.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16'I've come to a sixth-form college in Hammersmith, West London.'
0:37:18 > 0:37:22- Hi, girls.- Hi.- Hi, I'm Jaime. Nice to meet you.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27'These girls are between 16 and 18 and if they want the jab,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30'they can get it free from their GP.'
0:37:30 > 0:37:31OK, let's just talk frankly.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35First thing I really want to know is,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37why have you girls not had the jab?
0:37:37 > 0:37:41- I don't like testing new injections because even though... - The needles and stuff?
0:37:41 > 0:37:46No, I don't even mind the needles, but I prefer to have more research
0:37:46 > 0:37:50on it than just to go in straight away because it's a new injection,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53and then find out five years down the line that there's a few side effects,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57you could die, or you could develop some sort of disease, anything like that.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Even if it's now been proven to stop cervical cancer?
0:38:01 > 0:38:06Well, my mum was talking to me about smear tests because she told me about
0:38:06 > 0:38:09smear tests before, but I never knew it was for cervical cancer.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13So she said that if you get regular smear tests,
0:38:13 > 0:38:18then if you do develop the cancer, it can be quickly counteracted.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24So I thought if my mum can manage that, my nan can manage that, then why can't I?
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- And what about you, girlies? - I heard about it from my GP.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30He didn't really give me much information on it.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34He just kind of assumed I knew what it was for.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37But I'm not sexually active, so I thought, there's no point.
0:38:37 > 0:38:43Are you waiting to become sexually active to have the jab? Where do you stand with the vaccination?
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I may not know when I'm going to become sexually active.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50- So you're questioning it now? - Yeah. Like, what do you do first.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52The jab, or sex?
0:38:52 > 0:39:00HPV is basically a virus that kind of 80% of us carry, and that can turn cancerous,
0:39:00 > 0:39:04- and which you can get through oral sex.- I didn't know that.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06- You didn't know that?- No.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10- Did you know that boys can get HPV too?- No.
0:39:10 > 0:39:17And did you know that you could actually give a partner or a boy HPV
0:39:17 > 0:39:19by receiving oral sex?
0:39:19 > 0:39:23I just thought that boys transmitted it to girls.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26I didn't know that we could give it to them.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Boys aren't being offered this jab.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Only girls.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32How does that make you feel?
0:39:32 > 0:39:35To be honest, we're in the same position, both boys and girls.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40So it's a bit stupid and ignorant that they wouldn't give them the jabs too.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45I also think that schools and colleges don't do enough.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50The first time I heard about cervical cancer was during Jade Goody's death.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53I didn't know it existed before that.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55So I don't think schools and colleges
0:39:55 > 0:39:59are playing their part fully in educating everyone about it.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Now I've told you that boys can get HPV also,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07does that make you feel like a certain responsibility factor,
0:40:07 > 0:40:11even if you don't feel like it's necessary to get HPV vaccination?
0:40:11 > 0:40:16Yeah, I think it changes my mind slightly, because I think that
0:40:16 > 0:40:20I'm kind of responsible for what happens as well,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24and I don't want to like have my partner's life risked
0:40:24 > 0:40:26over anything that might happen between us.
0:40:26 > 0:40:32So I would consider it, but because of the kind of lifestyle I want to lead, because I want
0:40:32 > 0:40:36to wait until I'm a married to like have sex and stuff,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39you don't really think about those kind of things.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43It makes me feel like I have more of a weight on my shoulders,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46because if it was me that was getting something passed on to me,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50like if I was in the male's position, I would feel cheated
0:40:50 > 0:40:54and disgusted really, because if you had the knowledge that
0:40:54 > 0:40:58you could pass this on, and then you still didn't do anything
0:40:58 > 0:41:00to prevent it, it's a bit selfish.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04So I think maybe I'd consider getting it.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11OK, so the girls I met today all had valid reasons
0:41:11 > 0:41:18for not having the vaccination. But for me, it just feels like
0:41:18 > 0:41:21they are missing out on a golden opportunity to have the free jab,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25a jab that can protect them against cervical cancer,
0:41:25 > 0:41:27and their partners against HPV cancers.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32So I want to know,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36can I get the vaccination? You know, I'm already sexually active.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41Is it worth it for women like me, or that are older?
0:41:46 > 0:41:51The Margaret Pyke Centre has specialised in women's health issues for over 50 years.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Dr Anne Szarewski is looking closely into how HPV vaccines
0:42:04 > 0:42:09can be used in older women, even if they've already got the virus.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17I've been thinking on my journey throughout making this film,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19I've been thinking,
0:42:19 > 0:42:24"God, have I missed the chance to get the vaccine?
0:42:24 > 0:42:26"Would there be a point me getting it now?"
0:42:26 > 0:42:31I think it's a myth that's kind of grown up that you can't have it if you're over 16 or something.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35And in actual fact, women of any age can have the vaccine.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Obviously the earlier you have it, the better,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41and the ideal is to have it before you've ever had sex.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43But even if you have had sex,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47it's still on an individual level worth having the vaccine,
0:42:47 > 0:42:52because research that has been done all around the world is now showing
0:42:52 > 0:42:55that the vaccine will stop you getting it again.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57So it can actually stop you from being re-infected?
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- Yes, it does appear to do that.- Wow.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03That is really promising, isn't it?
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- So you would strongly recommend it? - Absolutely.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08The problem is that on a national level,
0:43:08 > 0:43:12it would be so expensive to vaccinate absolutely everybody.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16But on an individual level, if a woman actually has the money,
0:43:16 > 0:43:21which now works out at about £300 for the vaccination course, if she's got
0:43:21 > 0:43:25the money and she wants to spend that money on protecting herself against
0:43:25 > 0:43:29cervical cancer, rather than perhaps buying a new handbag this season,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31then why shouldn't she?
0:43:31 > 0:43:33And it will certainly give her benefits.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37If you can't afford it, there is a screening programme, which will still protect you
0:43:37 > 0:43:43against getting cervical cancer, so it's not like there's nothing for those who can't get vaccinated.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47How would an older man, approach this and say, "I'm concerned."
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Is it the same as for older women?
0:43:50 > 0:43:55At the moment, of course, the vaccine isn't being given to boys at all,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57which I do think is a shame.
0:43:57 > 0:44:02If we gave it to boys, it would increase the herd immunity, so it would help women as well.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05But also, of course, for men who have sex with men,
0:44:05 > 0:44:10they are at higher risk of getting things like genital warts,
0:44:10 > 0:44:16anal cancer, probably oral cancer, all these other HPV-related diseases.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20And they're not going to get protected at all without a sort of vaccination programme for boys.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24I do think the earlier they could get vaccinated, the better it would be.
0:44:28 > 0:44:34Even though most of us have HPV, only two out of the 143 strains,
0:44:34 > 0:44:40HPV 16 and HPV 18, are most likely to cause cancer.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44But given what's at stake, I'm not hedging my bets.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48OK, so that was actually really cool.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52Now I feel really reassured about getting the jab, the vaccination.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56I'm not so panicked. I don't feel like I've missed the boat at all.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58So yeah, I'm definitely going to have the jab.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00For sure.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14'The jab is given in three doses spread over six months.'
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Any problems whenever you have injections or anything?
0:45:17 > 0:45:22- Are you OK with injections? - Yep, that I know of.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27So, it will just be uncomfortable for a little minute.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34OK. If you could just turn round to the side a little bit more.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37That's absolutely fine.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41There's just going to be a little jab here. And that's it.
0:45:41 > 0:45:47- OK? All done. Is it stinging?- Yes.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50- If you just want to press on your arm there.- OK.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53That's absolutely fine.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55I'll just pop a little plaster on.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58You just need to keep it on for about ten, 15 minutes.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Right. That's your vaccination all done.
0:46:04 > 0:46:10Awesome. Oh, God! Oh!
0:46:10 > 0:46:12No, it wasn't bad at all.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16A little bit flushed, though.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19It's all very intense for a second.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23Having vaccinations is never a pleasant experience.
0:46:23 > 0:46:24Yeah. It's erm...
0:46:26 > 0:46:27Oh, that did hurt.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29You might find, for the rest of the day,
0:46:29 > 0:46:32that it feels slightly uncomfortable.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34'I'm really happy I got my jab.'
0:46:34 > 0:46:37It already feels like a huge relief.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41And my course of injections will cost around £300,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44which I'm really lucky I can afford.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48But where does that leave everybody who can't afford it?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50You know, in times like these,
0:46:50 > 0:46:54there's not a lot of people with £300 to spare in their back pocket.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58And I don't know Darren and Karen's money situation,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and I don't know if they'll be able to afford to vaccinate
0:47:01 > 0:47:03their young son, Leo, you know?
0:47:05 > 0:47:10If it was free on the NHS, it would solve a huge problem.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13So it makes me think, you know, why isn't it?
0:47:18 > 0:47:21'To find out, I've got to psych myself up to meet
0:47:21 > 0:47:24'an important man at the Department of Health,
0:47:24 > 0:47:28'in this pretty daunting building at the heart of Whitehall.'
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Professor David Salisbury is the man with the answers.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53He's the director of immunisation and he advises the Government on
0:47:53 > 0:47:56what vaccinations should be given on the NHS.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02So, doing this documentary, I've met someone who had suffered from
0:48:02 > 0:48:09HPV cancer and he has a daughter and a son,
0:48:09 > 0:48:10and I find it quite unfair that
0:48:10 > 0:48:16he could get his daughter vaccinated with this jab, but his son couldn't,
0:48:16 > 0:48:21especially as they were in nowhere near a position to afford it.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23How does that make you feel?
0:48:23 > 0:48:26What position does that put you in?
0:48:26 > 0:48:31What we do not have enough evidence for yet is,
0:48:31 > 0:48:33is it going to be cost-effective?
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Is it good use of money to vaccinate males?
0:48:36 > 0:48:39And it's not just one or two that might want it,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42we would have to vaccinate all of the males.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46That's 300,000 boys every year.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50And we have to know that doing that is in their interests.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55If I spend money irresponsibly,
0:48:55 > 0:49:00then other parts of health will suffer, but we have to
0:49:00 > 0:49:04make our decisions on the basis of the benefit to the individual
0:49:04 > 0:49:07and the benefit to the community.
0:49:07 > 0:49:13One of the people I've met during this documentary, his research shows
0:49:13 > 0:49:19that HPV-related oral cancer is rising, especially in men.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Would that maybe change your opinion?
0:49:22 > 0:49:24That's a very important piece of the debate.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27What we need to know is,
0:49:27 > 0:49:33how many of those oropharyngeal mouth and throat cancers
0:49:33 > 0:49:39are caused by the viruses that we can block with the vaccine?
0:49:39 > 0:49:43What would be the percentage of people with HPV-related cancer...
0:49:43 > 0:49:48to bring in the vaccination for males?
0:49:48 > 0:49:53I just can't answer that. It's just such a complicated question.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57What we would have to do is run these extraordinarily
0:49:57 > 0:50:03laborious computerised models that we do, where we put in
0:50:03 > 0:50:06what if the proportion was this, what if the proportion was that.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10Lots and lots of computerised models of what if.
0:50:10 > 0:50:17I simply cannot tell you what 30,000 runs of a computer model will reveal.
0:50:17 > 0:50:23And if the what ifs come out to say the probability is good, that this
0:50:23 > 0:50:30would be cost-effective, then that's what makes us change our policy.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36So, the Government have to decide what treatments to offer.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39And whether it's a good use of our money.
0:50:41 > 0:50:46To give all boys the HPV jab, it has to work out cheaper
0:50:46 > 0:50:49than to treat just the ones who would otherwise fall ill.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58But since 2008, boys have missed out because at the time, experts only
0:50:58 > 0:51:00had limited research showing low figures.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05Now, new research shows a sharp rise
0:51:05 > 0:51:08in the proportion of oral cancers with HPV.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12So, the Government will now have to decide if the figures add up.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34'I'm back with Daz, Kaz and their two children.'
0:51:37 > 0:51:41'Seven-year-old Leo and 12-year-old Tia.'
0:51:47 > 0:51:50It's been tough with Daz off work for over a year,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53but they've really held it together as a family.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06'Back home, I put them in the picture about what I've found out.'
0:52:06 > 0:52:10When I did meet the man from the Department of Health,
0:52:10 > 0:52:14the situation is, basically, the numbers aren't high enough
0:52:14 > 0:52:20with this rare cancer. Your daughter Tia will be offered the jab,
0:52:20 > 0:52:24but they're still not going to be offering it to boys, to Leo.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28How does that make you feel?
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Well, wrong. Really wrong.
0:52:30 > 0:52:35There are plenty of young men that need it.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Oral sex is a two-way street.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39It's not just us girls doing it.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Men are doing it too. Do you know what I mean?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43It's wrong.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46Tia has just had her first jab,
0:52:46 > 0:52:52I think it's just wrong that Leo is not going to be offered the same type of vaccine
0:52:52 > 0:52:54that my daughter is being offered.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56It's just wrong. It's really sexist.
0:52:56 > 0:53:02You can get the jab for your son, Leo, at the price of around £300 to £400.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06Is that something that you would look into? Or could you?
0:53:06 > 0:53:10A year off of work is a no-go at the moment.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15Our financial situation at the moment, with Darren, is still recovering, I guess.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20To be able to afford £300, £400, £500 for the vaccine...
0:53:20 > 0:53:22It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25You want to give your kids the best.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28But under circumstances... You just can't do it.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31And it's like penalising people that can't afford to do it.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36Obviously, people with money can be like, "Yeah, we can give it to our son straight away."
0:53:36 > 0:53:40And how does this make you feel about your son in the future?
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Really angry. Really angry.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47- Touch wood, we won't be sitting here helping him through it.- That's it.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50That's one thing I don't want.
0:53:50 > 0:53:56The other option is to say, "Let's not have oral sex again,"
0:53:56 > 0:54:02which is unrealistic and totally unfair as well.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06It's like saying, "Don't drink till you're 18."
0:54:06 > 0:54:08- "Don't put sugar with your tea." - Yeah.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Loads of people have sugar in their tea.
0:54:10 > 0:54:15You think of when you were young and you were experimenting. It's all part of growing up.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18We don't want to teach him not to go play.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21We can't follow him everywhere around the streets, you know?
0:54:21 > 0:54:25"Don't go out and have oral sex, son." It's just not going to happen.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27It's not. Not at all.
0:54:27 > 0:54:32"No female sweets for you, mate."
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Thank you so much guys for having me here again.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37It's been a pleasure meeting you both.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40You're fantastically inspirational.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- Well, we just got through, didn't we?- Yeah. Had to.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47To go through something like that... It is a massive deal, so, yeah.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50- It was just nice to come out the other end.- Yeah.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53He still gets tired though, he'll have a lie down later.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55I think I will too. It's been a long day!
0:54:55 > 0:54:57THEY LAUGH
0:55:06 > 0:55:10When I first started making this film,
0:55:10 > 0:55:14a good friend of mine, Paul, was suffering from cancer.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16And then a few weeks later he died.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20There was nothing that could be done for his type of cancer.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23There was no cure,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25there was no way it could have been prevented.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32But HPV cancer can be prevented with a simple vaccination.
0:55:32 > 0:55:38And it just makes me so angry to think that it boils down to money.
0:55:38 > 0:55:45Meanwhile, more and more young men are getting HPV oral cancer.
0:55:45 > 0:55:46But maybe there is hope.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53The more that young people learn about the virus, how you catch it
0:55:53 > 0:55:55and how it can be prevented,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58the more they can make their own decision about what to do about it.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03And, hopefully, Darren's son Leo
0:56:03 > 0:56:07will never have to suffer the way his dad has.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:56:22 > 0:56:24E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk