The real ‘fatal attraction’ of HPV

Dr Muiris Houston casts a medical eye over the recent revelation that actor Michael Douglas may have contracted throat cancer via exposure to the human papillomavirus. If we ever doubted the power of film stars to highlight a health issue, then events over the past few weeks have put the issue beyond debate. First up was Angelina Jolie, flying the banner for BRCA-caused breast cancers and her decision to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy. Next it was Michael Douglas, the star of Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction, who told The Guardian that his throat cancer was apparently caused by performing…