{"id":50491,"date":"2026-04-14T13:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50491"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:26:40","slug":"man-62-horrified-to-discover-sore-throat-was-cancer-linked-to-oral-sex-doctors-said-disease-had-been-harbouring-in-his-body-for-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50491","title":{"rendered":"Man, 62, horrified to discover ‘sore throat’ was cancer linked to oral sex – doctors said disease had been harbouring in his body for decades"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A father-of-two was left horrified when doctors told him his ‘sore throat’ was caused by a form of\u00a0cancer<\/a> linked to oral sex.<\/p>\n

Jeff Bradford, 62, from Moray in Scotland, was working as a part-time personal trainer and renovating a gym when he first developed the tickly sensation in March 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said: ‘I wore a mask but a couple of days later I had a sore throat.<\/p>\n

‘I thought it was just irritation from the dust, but I couldn’t shake it.’<\/p>\n

When the discomfort persisted for two weeks and wasn’t soothed by over-the-counter remedies, he returned to his GP who told him it was ‘classic tonsillitis’.<\/p>\n

Antibiotics failed to improve his symptoms and he returned to his GP where he was given\u00a0stronger antibiotics, and another doctor taking a throat swab and photographs.<\/p>\n

He was referred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

During the consultation, specialists warned that the appearance of the throat lesion ‘looked very sinister’ and arranged an urgent biopsy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Jeff Bradford, 62, initially blamed his sore throat on dust and insulation after working in a loft<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Father-of-two <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Father-of-two Mr Bradford from Moray in Scotland is pictured with his wife, Heidi, 58<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mr Bradford said: ‘I wasn’t nervous at all. It never crossed my mind it could be cancer. We even planned to go out for lunch after the appointment.<\/p>\n

‘I was shocked when they said they thought it could be cancer, but things moved very quickly after that.’<\/p>\n

During the surgery, doctors discovered the tumour had already grown significantly, reaching the size of a thumb. It was removed during a four-hour operation.<\/p>\n

Mr Bradford was later told he had stage three oropharyngeal cancer linked to HPV16 – a common virus that is usually harmless and often cleared by the immune system, but in some cases can remain dormant for years before triggering cancer.<\/p>\n

‘I was totally shocked when they said it was linked to HPV and could be associated with oral sex,’ he said.<\/p>\n

‘They told me it may have been in my body for decades.<\/p>\n

‘It just stays dormant sometimes, and something like a minor infection can allow it to take hold.<\/p>\n

‘Driving back 80 miles home, my wife and I never spoke a word,’ he said.<\/p>\n

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is an extremely common virus spread through skin-to-skin contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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During surgery in 2016, doctors discovered the tumour had already grown significantly, reaching the size of a thumb. Jeff is pictured in hospital with his wife\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Mouth <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Mouth ulcers that don’t heal, a hoarse voice and unexplained lumps in the mouth are all warning signs of mouth cancer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While often harmless, it can lead to serious diseases and is known to cause a number of cancers, including those affecting the head and neck, anus and penis, and cervical cancer in women.<\/p>\n

Cases of head and neck cancers have been rising in recent years.<\/p>\n

Mouth ulcers that don’t heal, a hoarse voice and unexplained lumps in the mouth are all warning signs of mouth cancer<\/p>\n

Head and neck cancer is an umbrella term covering cancers of the throat, mouth, voice box, nose, sinuses and salivary glands.<\/p>\n

Research has linked a significant proportion of oropharyngeal cancers – affecting the back of the throat, tonsils and base of the tongue – to HPV infection.<\/p>\n

While the virus is usually harmless, it is spread through close contact, including sexual activity, and can in rare cases lead to cancer years or even decades later.<\/p>\n

Experts say warning signs can include a persistent sore throat, mouth ulcers that do not heal, hoarseness, or unexplained lumps in the neck.<\/p>\n

After undergoing chemotherapy and 35 sessions of radiotherapy later that year, Mr Bradford was left severely weakened, spending months recovering at home.<\/p>\n

‘Radiotherapy was brutal,’ he said. ‘It caused severe burns. It felt like my neck had been scorched. I was bedridden for months afterwards.’<\/p>\n

Eventually, he completed treatment and was later declared cancer-free.<\/p>\n

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\"Radiotherapy <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Radiotherapy caused severe burns. ‘It felt like my neck had been scorched,’ said Jeff<\/p>\n<\/div>\n