I’m a surgeon — here’s why oral sex is fueling throat cancer
About 18,000 Americans are diagnosed with a new case of oropharyngeal cancer each year, with a UK head, neck and thyroid surgeon pointing the finger at oral sex.
Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that tends to affect people between 50 and 80 but is becoming more prevalent among younger generations because it’s linked to human papillomavirus (HPV).
“HPV is sexually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex,” Dr. Hisham Mehanna, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the UK, wrote Monday on the Conversation research site.
“Those with 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,” Mehanna added.
The cancer strikes the middle portion of the throat, behind the mouth. That area includes the soft palate, tonsils, back of the tongue and the sides and back of the throat.
Symptoms include a sore throat that doesn’t subside, difficulty swallowing, an inability to fully open the mouth, trouble moving the tongue, unexplained weight loss, ear pain, a lump in the back of the mouth, throat or neck, a persistent white patch on the tongue or lining of the mouth and a cough that produces blood.
Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, a combination of the two treatments, or surgery to remove the tumor are common approaches to oropharyngeal cancer.
HPV-caused oropharyngeal cancer tends to have a better prognosis than cases linked to heavy smoking or drinking. About 70% of patients will survive their cancer five years or longer after diagnosis.
There are more than 200 strains of HPV, and some can cause genital warts or cervical cancer. Over 42 million Americans have a form known to cause disease.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US, with at least 13 million new infections recorded annually.
“The prevailing theory is that most of us catch HPV infections and are able to clear them completely. However, a small number of people are not able to get rid of the infection, maybe due to a defect in a particular aspect of their immune system,” Mehanna explained.
“In those patients, the virus is able to replicate continuously, and over time integrates at random positions into the host’s DNA, some of which can cause the host cells to become cancerous,” he continued.
Mehanna endorses inoculation for girls and boys, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting starting at 11 or 12 or as early as 9.
Catch-up shots are recommended up to 27 for those who didn’t get them when they were younger.
Mehanna acknowledged that this may be an unpopular opinion: “There is a significant proportion of some populations who are opposed to HPV vaccination due to concerns about safety, necessity, or, less commonly, due to concerns about encouraging promiscuity.”
He added: “As always when dealing with populations and behavior, nothing is simple or straightforward.”
The New York Department of Health assures that the shots are “a safe and effective way to protect against the serious health problems that HPV can cause.”
About 61% of US teens were up to date with the series as of last year, and around 77% of adolescents had received at least one dose.
KFF reported that state rates vary from 39% of youth in Mississippi being up to date to 85% in Rhode Island.
