“The Link Between Oral Sex and Throat Cancer: The Risk for HPV Infection and Prevention Measures”

Dr. Hisham Mehanna, from the University of Birmingham in the UK, warned that people with multiple sexual partners are exposed to various risks. They are more exposed to the risk of infection with HPV, a virus that can cause cancer.

The US and UK are experiencing an ‘explosion’ of throat cancer, and experts believe oral sex is the cause. Dr. Hisham Mehanna said 70 percent of throat cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a normally harmless virus that spreads sexually and has been linked to multiple forms of cancer.

Dr. Mehanna also stated that people with multiple oral sex partners have up to nine times the risk of developing throat cancer. He wrote in The Conversation: “Over the past two decades there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in America and the UK. It’s a specific type of cancer called oropharyngeal and it’s the most common type of throat cancer.” Doctors believe that HPV infection is the biggest risk factor for the development of the disease.

Dr Mehanna continued: “HPV is sexually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sex partners, especially oral sex partners.” “Those who have six or more lifetime oral sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practice oral sex”, the doctor pointed out. More than 50,000 cases of oral or oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed in the US each year, causing more than 10,000 deaths annually. The number of cases is increasing, up to 1.3 percent per year in women and 2.8 percent in men, according to the American Cancer Society.

Oral sex, worse than cigarettes and alcohol

Doctors have discovered that oral sex is the biggest risk factor for cancer – surpassing smoking, alcohol consumption and an unhealthy diet. This is because intercourse can lead to an HPV infection in the back of the throat or near the tonsils. These infections go away on their own in most cases, but sometimes they persist and can cause cancer.

Scientists at NYU Langone estimate that up to 70 percent of throat cancers are caused by HPV infections. In the UK, head and neck cancers combined are responsible for more than 12,000 cases and 4,000 deaths a year. HPV is a common virus spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex with a partner who is already infected.

There is a vaccine for HPV. It is over 80% effective and available in much of the developed world. It is a two-dose vaccine for children aged 11 to 12 years. The injections take place 12 months apart. For people who missed this window, a three-dose vaccine is available for 15- to 26-year-olds.

The vaccine was available in the US only for women until 2020, when eligibility was extended to men. This comes after a survey showed that very few Americans are aware that HPV can cause cervical cancer. The survey results showed that the proportion of people aware they could get cancer has fallen by seven per cent since 2014. Dr. Eric Boakye, a scientist at the Henry Ford Health Center in Detroit, Michigan, who led the research, said: “Over 90% of HPV-related cancers could be prevented with the HPV vaccine.