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Jeff with his dogs (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A father who initially dismissed a persistent sore throat as dust irritation from renovating his gym was left shocked to learn it was actually throat cancer – linked to the HPV16 virus contracted through oral sex. Jeff Bradford, 62, first noticed a tickly throat after working on the rafters of his gym in March 2016.
A father who initially brushed off a lingering sore throat as merely a consequence of dust exposure during gym renovations received a startling diagnosis: throat cancer caused by the HPV16 virus, which he had unknowingly contracted through oral sex. Jeff Bradford, age 62, first experienced throat irritation after working on his gym’s rafters in March 2016.
“We were in the loft, setting up some equipment amid clouds of dust and insulation. Even though I wore a mask, days later, I developed a sore throat. I assumed it was due to the dust, but it just wouldn’t go away,” he shared. Believing it was a minor issue, he initially resorted to gargling aspirin, thinking it was nothing more than a routine sore throat.
Jeff and his wife (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
After a fortnight with no signs of improvement, Jeff visited his GP, who diagnosed “classic tonsillitis” and prescribed antibiotics. When his symptoms persisted, he returned to see a different doctor, who prescribed a stronger course and took a throat swab, eventually referring him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“They must have seen the photos and thought ‘there’s something dodgy going on there’. I couldn’t see anything but I could feel something touching the back of my tongue, it was making me gag. It was like something was tickling the back of my tongue.” At the hospital, a specialist assessed Jeff and arranged a biopsy. While on the operating table, the surgeon told him the thumb-sized mass at the back of his throat had doubled in size since the previous scan and advised its immediate removal. “The surgeon came up that evening [after the surgery] and he said ‘looking at it, I think you’ve got stage three cancer’ I was just shocked,” Jeff recalled.
After two weeks with no relief, Jeff consulted his GP, who diagnosed him with “classic tonsillitis” and prescribed antibiotics. When his condition did not improve, he sought a second opinion from another doctor, who issued a stronger antibiotic course and took a throat swab, eventually referring him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“The doctors must have seen the scans and thought something wasn’t right. Although I couldn’t see anything myself, I felt a sensation at the back of my tongue that made me gag, like something was tickling it.” At the hospital, a specialist evaluated Jeff and scheduled a biopsy. During surgery, the doctor noted that the thumb-sized mass in his throat had doubled since the last scan and recommended immediate removal. “The surgeon approached me that evening after surgery and said, ‘I believe it’s stage three cancer,’ which left me in shock,” Jeff recounted.
Post-operation, tests confirmed the diagnosis of stage-three throat cancer. Medical professionals revealed that it was caused by the HPV16 strain, typically spread through sexual contact, particularly oral sex.
Jeff endured chemotherapy and 35 rounds of radiotherapy, leaving him bed-bound for three months. He went on to say: “Radiotherapy caused really bad burns. It was like someone took a blowtorch to my neck, it was horrible. I went home and went to bed for three months”.
Now a decade clear of cancer, Jeff is urging others not to dismiss persistent symptoms, saying: “If someone has a persistent sore throat my advice is to get it checked out, it could be easily missed if you don’t push it. Everybody does it, don’t they?
“A week later, during a follow-up, they mentioned HPV. I wasn’t familiar with it. They explained it’s sexually transmitted, often through oral sex. I was completely taken aback that it stemmed from that,” Jeff explained, noting that doctors suspected he had contracted the virus decades before meeting his wife, Heidi Bradford.
“It’s a normal, sexual activity with somebody you love… I would never say to anyone ‘give up oral sex’… but it might put people off that. I think if it’s not talked about quite candidly it’ll get brushed under the carpet and if people are embarrassed to talk about it they may avoid treatment.”
Jeff, a former Royal Air Force corporal and father-of-two from Forres, Moray, Scotland, attributed his diagnosis to simply “bad luck”.
He went on to say: “I’ve had a few partners before I met my wife, but you just go about life like everyone else. You don’t expect when you’re young ‘do that and I might get cancer when I’m 50-odd’.”
Jeff and his wife (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
What is HPV?
According to the NHS, human papillomavirus (HPV) is a collection of viruses that affect the skin and moist membranes, including the cervix, anus, mouth, and throat.
Predominantly passed on through sexual contact, including oral sex, the virus can trigger cellular changes that may ultimately develop into cancers, such as cervical or potentially throat cancer.
