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Possible Link Between Oral Sex and Throat Cancer

In recent years there has been a significant drop in most cancers of the head and neck. There is however an exception—throat cancer. An analysis done by Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that incidents of throat cancer are rising in some populations. The decline in other head and neck cancers is said to be related to the decline in smoking among Americans. So why the rise in throat cancer? That question is what led researchers Erich Sturgis, MD, MPH and Paul Cinciripini, MD to look towards oral sex and the human papilloma virus, HPV.
           
There is nothing set in stone, but it is thought that the HPV virus is spread through oral sex just as it is through intercourse. An infected individual can spread the virus to their partner through oral sex, increasing their partner’s risk for throat cancer. Just as there is an increased risk for cervical cancer in infected females, throat cancer can be a real risk to infected males who contract the virus through oral means.
          
What can be done to prevent these infections? The HPV vaccine Gardasil that is currently used for females could have potential uses in preventing throat cancer. There are currently countries such as Australia and Mexico that offer the vaccine to males, but as Debbie Saslow, PhD, with the American Cancer Society states, “…there is, as yet, no clinical proof that it works to prevent HPV infection in men.” There are promising possibilities, but safe sex practices should stay in affect, with or without an effective vaccine.
 
Source
Boyles, Salyn. “HPV/Genital Warts Health Center.” Web MD. 27 Aug 2007. Web MD Medical News. 4 Sept 2007. <www.webmd.com>.