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<\/p>\n‘I consider myself lucky that I can still eat and talk, but if I\u2019d left it much later, I could have lost my tongue or even died’<\/p>\n
02:00, 03 Feb 2026Updated 14:01, 03 Feb 2026<\/p>\n
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Dad-of-two Anthony Perriam felt a lump in his neck after returning from holiday and was diagnosed with cancer in his tongue (Image: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board)<\/p>\n
Dad-of-two Anthony Perriam had just returned from a family holiday in March 2023 when he noticed a small, hard lump under the right side of his jaw. While there was no pain, no sore throat, and no other symptoms, he decided to visit his GP just to be on the safe side.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it didn\u2019t hurt, I didn\u2019t think it was serious,\u201d recalled Anthony, from Whitchurch, Cardiff<\/a>. \u201cI even debated whether it was worth going to the doctor. Looking back, that delay could have cost me my life.\u201d<\/p>\n After the GP appointment, Anthony was sent for an ultrasound scan. Within weeks, he underwent a biopsy and CT scan at the University Hospital of Wales<\/a> (UHW), followed by an MRI which fell on his 39th birthday.<\/p>\n Shortly afterwards, he was called back into hospital and given the heartbreaking diagnosis. \u201cThey told me the biopsy had come back and it was cancer,\u201d he said. \u201cI had a three-year-old and a six-year-old at the time. My first thought wasn\u2019t about me – it was about them. I was completely petrified for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Doctors confirmed the cancer was in a lymph node but could not initially locate the primary tumour. Further testing revealed it was HPV-related head and neck cancer, a form of the disease that is often highly treatable when detected early.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d only ever heard of HPV in relation to cervical cancer,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cI had no idea it could cause cancers like this, especially in men.\u201d<\/p>\n Dad-of-two Anthony Perriam, from Cardiff, felt a lump in his neck which turned out to be much more sinister than he thought(Image: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board)<\/p>\n Using UHW\u2019s pioneering Da Vinci robot, surgeons were eventually able to locate the cancer at the base of his tongue, close to where his tonsils had been removed years earlier.<\/p>\n During the operation surgeons also removed 44 lymph nodes from his neck. \u201cThey told me they caught it just in time,\u201d Anthony, now 41, added. \u201cOne of the lymph nodes was on the verge of rupturing. If it had gone any further it could have spread.\u201d<\/p>\n After surgery Anthony spent over a week in UHW and then underwent six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff to ensure all the cancer was removed.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point you don\u2019t care what the treatment does to you,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re just focused on surviving. But in my opinion the surgery was a walk in the park compared to the radiotherapy and chemotherapy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe radiotherapy doesn\u2019t hurt but after every session you have it makes you feel worse. I was very sick, and I dropped weight very quickly. When I started my treatment, I was around 72 kilos (around 11st 4lbs) and I ended up around 50 kilos (7st 12lbs).<\/p>\n \u201cAll of my saliva disappeared. Even drinking was difficult as everything turned to powder in my mouth. I was so weak that I eventually needed a wheelchair.<\/p>\n “Being wheeled down the corridor and into radiotherapy was starting to affect my mental health. But my family gave me the motivation to get through it and I wanted to live to see my 40th birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n After surgery Anthony spent over a week in UHW and then underwent six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy(Image: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board)<\/p>\n While the treatment left lasting side effects – including nerve damage, muscle loss, and temporary loss of taste – he is now in long term follow-up care.<\/p>\n Anthony wants to share his story to encourage others not to ignore unexplained symptoms and to raise awareness of HPV-related cancers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you find a lump, even if it doesn\u2019t hurt, get it checked,\u201d he said. \u201cThis kind of cancer isn\u2019t talked about enough, especially among men. Early action really does save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n HPV (human papillomavirus) is the name given to a very common group of viruses that are passed on through skin-to-skin contact and are usually found on the fingers, hands, mouth and genitals.<\/p>\n Most people who become infected with HPV will clear the virus from their body and won\u2019t become unwell. But for some it can cause genital warts or even develop into some types of cancer including head and neck cancer (most common in men) and cervical cancer in women.<\/p>\n Cancer survivor Anthony Perriam from Cardiff with his wife and children(Image: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board)<\/p>\n However, the HPV vaccine has proved very effective. Since it was introduced in 2008 it has reduced cervical cancer rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s.<\/p>\n Every year Cardiff and Vale UHB\u2019s school<\/a> nursing immunisation team visits schools across the region to giver the HPV vaccine to year eight children, along with those in years nine, 10 and 11 who missed it in year eight.<\/p>\n Sandeep Berry, consultant otolaryngologist head and neck surgeon at Cardiff and Vale UHB, said: \u201cThe HPV vaccine has been used worldwide for years, it\u2019s safe and effective and is part of the national immunisation programme in Wales. It helps boys and girls stay healthy, prevents HPV-related cancer and strengthens public health overall.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vaccine is given in year eight as it\u2019s when the immune system responds most strongly – and before sexual activity begins. I would sincerely encourage you to ensure that your children get the HPV vaccine when it is offered in school.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony added: \u201cIt\u2019s fantastic that the HPV vaccine is now offered to all secondary school children. It works for girls, it works for boys, and I’ll certainly be making sure that my son Maximillian, who is nine soon to be 10, will be having it.<\/p>\n “I consider myself lucky that I can still eat and talk, but if I\u2019d left it much later, I could have lost my tongue or even died. The HPV vaccine can help prevent the kind of suffering that me and my family endured.”<\/p>\n Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here<\/a>. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. 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