Robert Hutson wasn’t overly concerned when he felt a painless lump in his throat. When it didn’t go away with antibiotics, his doctor ordered a scan and then a biopsy. He was stunned to learn it was cancer.

Robert’s cancer has been linked to the sexually transmitted HPV, or human papillomavirus virus, a well-known cause of cervical cancer in women and recently an alarming number of head and neck cancers in men. Robert’s physician, Henry Ho, M.D., the medical director of head and neck cancer at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, calls it an epidemic.

Dr. Ho tells you what you need to know about this often symptomless cancer and offers tips on protecting your family.

This story was featured in an episode of the Emmy-nominated show Surviving & Thriving. Special thanks to our partners at Florida Hospital for their sponsorship and support of this Surviving & Thriving segment. Click here to watch the entire episode it was featured in.