Oral sex is a leading cause of throat, head and neck cancers due to human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission. HPV-16, known to cause cervical cancer, is also responsible for these cancers. Multiple oral sex partners increase the risk of developing throat HPV, which can progress to cancer. HPV throat cancer is now the leading cause of throat cancer in people under 50. Risky oral sex and marijuana use are the two biggest risk factors for HPV-related head and neck cancers. HPV-positive cancers have a higher survival rate than HPV-negative cancers.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted disease often discussed in connection with cervical cancer in women. In recent studies, however, HPV has been found to be a cause of throat cancers, head and neck cancers, and oropharyngeal cancers due to oral sex transmission. The particular strain of HPV known as HPV-16, which is known to be one of two HPV strains said to be the main cause of cervical cancer, has been found to be the same strain that causes these cancers of the mouth and throat. In throat HPV, another factor in the studies that surprised medical professionals was the finding that oral sex was a higher risk instigator than smoking, alcohol and drug use, not in one, but in several studies.
As many young men reportedly choose to engage in oral sex practices as a way to preserve “technical virginity,” HPV cases of the throat are on the rise. The incidence of HPV tonsil and tongue cancers is heavier in men than women, and men are at higher risk since HPV vaccines are currently only available to women. The main risk factor was in those who had multiple oral sex partners, as they are three times more likely to develop throat HPV, which can progress to cancer. In one study of throat cancers, it was found that six or more oral sex partners increased the likelihood of cancer eight-fold. In those who showed signs of previous HPV infections, they were up to 32 times more likely to develop one or more diagnoses of oral cancer or throat cancer.
Some may argue that oral sex isn’t sex per se, and because of this, they think they don’t engage in risky behavior. Because so many know little or nothing about the transmission of STIs, they may not realize that the lining of the mouth and throat is just as suitable for culture of viruses that lead to cancer as the vagina or anus. Because throat HPV is silent at first, it incubates in the back of the throat and progresses rapidly in stages, similar to cervical cancer. HPV throat cancer has spread at such a rate that it is now the leading cause of throat cancer in both men and women under the age of 50.
Throat HPV, in recent studies in 2010, was found to be a stronger factor than heavy smoking and alcohol use for the development of oropharyngeal cancers, which comprise approximately 25% of head and neck cancers in the United States United States A study at the John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center found that the two biggest risk factors for HPV-related head and neck cancers were risky oral sex and marijuana use, rather than tobacco or alcohol. The reason marijuana use is a risk factor is that the cannabinoids in marijuana suppress the body’s immune system.
A few small studies have found that perhaps these throat cancer HPVs may have slightly higher survival values; further studies are under consideration to find out if this is actually true. Figures in small studies showed an 83 percent survival rate of those with HPV-positive cancers. The figures for HPV-negative cancers, after the same radiation and chemotherapy treatments, were 57.1% survivors.
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