Spreading Awareness About HPV-Related Cancer
- Duane “Kuip” Kuiper, 76, has been diagnosed with throat cancer and recently began treatment at Stanford Medicine last week, saying the cancer is unrelated to his previous cancer battle five years ago.
- There’s no annual screening for throat cancer like there is for other more common cancers. Instead, doctors usually find throat cancers when a patient comes in with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms include: cough, changes in your voice, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, a sore throat, or a lump that doesn’t heal. Don’t delay seeing a doctor if something seems amiss and your symptoms are not going away.
- It’s much more common to know someone who has a head or neck cancer, like throat cancer, nowadays than it was several decades ago. And that’s because of its strong connection to HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
- The HPV vaccine is proving to be a powerful cancer‑prevention tool, protecting against the high‑risk virus strains responsible for multiple cancers — including cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, penile, and certain head and neck cancers — and offering broad protection when given before sexual activity begins.
- To further help you on your cancer journey, explore SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool, “My Health Questions.” This powerful resource, embedded across the SurvivorNet website, was built to bridge that gap by offering on-demand explanations of treatment options, clinical trials, side effects, insurance concerns, and more.
Kuiper, who played for the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants before beginning his broadcasting career, shared the news in a statement posted by the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 20.
Read MoreA message from Duane Kuiper 🧡 pic.twitter.com/Vcc2RtZ6y5
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 20, 2026
Kuiper added that he’ll miss Monday and Wednesday’s broadcasts while continuing treatment but is looking forward to returning Tuesday and the weekend to help celebrate the final games of longtime broadcast partner Mike Krukow’s career before his retirement.
He closed the statement by thanking his family, the Giants organization, his broadcast partners, and others for their support during his treatment.
According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 72,770 people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx — the major types of head and neck cancer — in 2026.
View this post on Instagram
According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that begins when cells in the throat mutate and grow out of control, typically starting in the pharynx, larynx, vocal cords, or tonsils.
MSKCC notes that most cases are squamous cell carcinoma, arising from the thin, flat cells lining the throat, though rarer forms like lymphoma and minor salivary gland cancer can also originate there.
Treatment, per MSKCC, can include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy.
The Connection Between Head & Neck Cancers and HPV
It’s much more common to know someone who has a head or neck cancer now-a-days than it was several decades ago. And that’s because of its strong connection to HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
“From the 1980s to the 2010s, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300 percent,” Dr. Ted Teknos, a head and neck cancer specialist, and president and scientific director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, told SurvivorNet during a previous interview.
Expert Resources on HPV-Related Cancers
- Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
- HPV Is Responsible For 5% Of Cancers In The World: An Advocate’s Crucial Message
- Get the Facts: HPV Can Cause Cancer in Men Too
- Majority of Throat Cancer Diagnoses Are Caused by HPV – Here’s What You Need to Know
- More than 70% of Americans Don’t Know that HPV Can Cause Anal, Oral, and Penile Cancers — Even With Famous Advocates Such as Michael Douglas and Marcia Cross
- A Major New Effort Announced to Vaccinate Young Boys Against HPV and Cancers Linked to Sex
“That is entirely due to the HPV infection, in the throats of patients who have been exposed to HPV. So there is no myth … HPV causes throat cancer and it’s a sexually transmitted disease. And it’s something that is an epidemic in the United States.”
Understanding HPV and Cancer Risk
Meanwhile, Dr. Allen Ho, a head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, says the vast majority of humans in the United States — both men and women — will eventually get infected with HPV.
Dr. Ho explained, “The important thing to know about HPV is that there are many different strains, and only a couple of them tend to be more cancer-inducing.
“Probably less than 1 percent of the population who get infected happen to have the cancer-causing virus that somehow their immune system fails to clear, and over 15 to 20 years it develops from a viral infection into a tumor, and a cancer.”
It’s unclear whether HPV alone is enough to trigger the changes in your cells that lead to throat or mouth cancer, or whether this happens in combination with other risk factors like smoking. Of course, some people who develop throat or mouth cancers have no known risk factors for the condition. Genetics can play a role in this cancer, too.
Why the HPV Vaccine is so Important in Preventing Cancer
The HPV Vaccine
Oral and throat cancers are unique in that they’re usually preventable with the HPV vaccine. And that’s why those eligible should get vaccinated against HPV, SurvivorNet experts say.
The vaccine is typically given to children before they are sexually active, as HPV is transmitted through sexual contact.
And contrary to some detrimental misinformation circulated online, the HPV vaccine is entirely safe.
There are virtually no side effects with this vaccine, Dr. Jonathan Berek, director of the Women’s Cancer Center at Stanford Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
It is “incredibly safe,” he insisted. “It’s as safe as any vaccine has ever been. It’s highly-effective. It’s highly-predictive.”
Dr. Berek continued, “Some people say they’re concerned about it because they’re — they’ve called it a sex vaccine, that somehow it’s gonna encourage people to be sexually active. First of all, that’s not true. It’s, it’s an anti-cancer vaccine. And second of all, there are no data to support that contention.
“There are absolutely none. So it’s really based on fear, misinformation, disinformation … it’s not based on science or data. The science is very clear. It’s a highly-effective, safe vaccine, and should be promoted. And in those countries now where it has been promoted, we’re starting to see substantial reductions in the precancerous and early cancers of the cervix.”
HPV is responsible for 34,800 cases of cancer in the U.S. each year, but 90% of them can be prevented thanks to the HPV vaccine Gardasil.
Deciding When to Work or Step Back Amid Cancer Treatment
“We always encourage people to continue to work if they can,” says Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center.
“I think it creates a sense of normalcy for patients.”
If you can work, you’ll be busy, and you may not be worrying about how your treatment is going, Stapleton adds.
Sometimes, cancer can make you feel isolated and lonely, and being around people for work can alleviate feelings of loneliness.
It’s important for you to have a conversation with your doctor before continuing to work during treatment. Ask your physician what you can and cannot do so you don’t disrupt ongoing treatment.
Remember, sometimes cancer treatment can cause fatigue, leaving you unable to fulfill your duties as you once could.
Fortunately, some on-the-job accommodations can make working during cancer treatment a little easier.
It’s important to remember that people with job problems related to cancer are protected by the Rehabilitation Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Others may also benefit from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This law allows many people with serious illnesses to take unpaid leave to get medical care or manage their symptoms.
Your human resources department should be able to share with you your options.
In some situations, employers must accommodate a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the employer can show it would be an undue hardship to do so. This could mean making changes to work schedules, equipment, or policies.
WATCH: Will my cancer get me fired?
Laurie Ostacher, a behavioral health clinician at Stanford Health Care, recommends cancer patients talk with their employer about accommodations they may need upon returning to work.
“Patients need to let their employer know [they’re] going to need some flexibility… Because there are going to be days when you’re not as energetic or feeling as well as other days,” Ostacher explained.
When some of these benchmarks cannot be met because you’re struggling with treatment side effects or your treatment schedule interferes with your work schedule, perhaps stepping back from work or reducing your work schedule may be ideal.
Ultimately, you should remain in constant communication with your care team about your plans to work – or not – as that can factor into your overall treatment regimen.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
