Editor's Note

Kevin Henry | Editor [email protected]

The subject of oral cancer has a very personal connection with me. One of my journalism professors at the University of Oklahoma lost a portion of his jaw because of the disease (he was a smoker). He was a man who I respected greatly, and he was a big influence on my life, even helping me complete my master's degree as a member of my thesis committee. I knew him before I entered into my current profession, and I didn't really understand oral cancer as much as I do now.

Now almost 15 years into my job as the editor of Proofs, I have seen the effects of oral cancer too many times. It's still hard for me to consider it a "silent killer," yet you and I both know there are way too many people out there who don't know the damage it can cause.

In 2011, I read an article in Men's Health about the connection between HPV and oral cancer. That's the first time that I knew about Eric Statler and the battle that he was fighting against oral cancer. A former college athlete, Eric was in great shape, had never smoked, and drank only a few beers a week. Here's part of that Men's Health article ...

"My wife used to say I was the healthiest man she'd ever known," he says. The average oral cancer patient, by contrast, is a lifelong smoker or heavy drinker in his mid-60s.

But the definition of "average" has slowly been changing, as more and more oral cancer diagnoses are being handed down across the country to otherwise healthy young men. Statler soon learned that he was part of this emerging subset of oral cancer patients, a group of guys who all share one unlikely risk factor: HPV, an undetectable and untreatable STD that may act like tinder for tumors.

Since reading that article, I've since gotten to know Eric very well and consider him a great friend. He is a warrior in the battle against oral cancer and a huge advocate for HPV awareness. In the war against oral cancer, I don't know any soldier who is braver.

Watch the video above for my thoughts on the connection between HPV and oral cancer, more thoughts on Eric, and a take on the oral cancer survey results found in this issue.

Read on, this is your Proofs digital edition...