Home » Forums » Sex in the News

Oral sex-related cancer at 30-year high

firefly79's picture
Thu, 02/28/2008 - 21:16
Submitted by firefly79

Discuss!!!!

The incidence of oral cancer due to a virus transmitted during oral sex has increased steeply over the last 30 years, according to research in the US. And scientists relate this trend to changes in people's sexual behaviour.

The number of tongue, mouth and throat cancers due to the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which can also cause cervical cancer in women, rose by about a third from 1973 to 2004, say researchers.

The team led by Maura Gillison at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, US, studied trends in oral cancers recorded by US National Cancer Institute registries.

Earlier work by this team and others had established a link between certain strains of the common sexually transmitted virus and oral cancer. The latest study, which looked at nearly 46,000 cases, is the first to quantify an increase in mouth and throat cancers due to sexual activity.

'Vaccinate boys'
"What we do know is that the prevalence of HPV is high, particularly among young people and this shouldn't be a surprise given that, since the sexual revolution, people have been having more sexual partners," says Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK.

The rise was largest among young white males, suggesting this group is more likely to have oral sex at a younger age now than it was 20 years ago, says Gillison's team. It adds that further research on the role of race and sex, and oral sexual behaviour, is needed.

What is not in doubt, says Gillison, is the need to consider giving boys the HPV vaccine, to protect them from the disease.

A Merck vaccine is currently licensed for use in young women and girls to protect them against the most common cervical cancer-causing strains of HPV. These strains are also thought to cause oral cancer, as well as penile and anal cancer.

"We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," urges Gillison.

Cost concerns
One US campaign group, the Oral Cancer Foundation, is now calling on the US Food and Drug Administration to "move rapidly to approve the vaccination of young boys with the cervical cancer vaccine, to reduce the pool of HPV16 [a particularly aggressive strain]" and protect them from oral cancer.

Walker says however, given the high cost of such a programme, authorities might require more evidence that such a move really would prevent a significant number of male cancers.

Tonsil and throat cancers affect about two in every 100,000 adults in the US and about half a million people around the world each year.

Although, oral cancers linked to HPV infection have risen, the study notes the incidence of oral cancers in parts of the mouth or throat not linked to HPV infection remained constant until 1982, and then started to decline.

Gillison says this is probably due to falling consumption of tobacco and alcohol, which are also linked to the cancers.

Journal reference: Journal of Clinical Oncology (DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2007.14.1713)

‹ Nude Photos of 14 year old New study says male infidelity is 'inevitable' ›

I speak from personal

Thu, 02/19/2009 - 16:49
Carlin Ross

I speak from personal experience.  Here I was practicing safe sex and you should have seen my face when I got the diagnosis.  I was dumbfounded and felt that people should be told that condoms don't protect you 100%.  No one ever told me that chlamydia was small enough to get through a condom.  Will you die from chlamydia? No.  Do condoms protect you against AIDS and HIV? Yes.  But there are plenty of nasties you can get from having your genital mounds touch and just kissing someone. 

So be very selective and don't think that if you use a condom you're home free.  Get tested every 3-6 months.  Now, I leave most things to fantasy and only choose super safe partners knowing that most lie through their teeth.

A rising epidemic

Fri, 02/06/2009 - 17:09
Gina (not verified)

I agree that this is an issue that has slowly crept up but for some reason it has not gained public exposure. How many people need to be positively diagnosed before this issue begins to reach the mainstream media? Sure, if negligence is involved, an attorney can help but with this type of cancer, this is rarely the case.

Fri, 02/29/2008 - 10:22
Carlin Ross

This is an issue that Eric (betty dodson's partner and business associate) and i debate alot. We believe that you're going to see the number of adult stars with oral, tongue, and throat cancer sky rocket in the next 20 years.

I will admit that fear of oral HPV is what keeps me on the straight and narrow sexually. God, I would love to have gobs and gobs of stranger sex - M from myspace, the doormen at the Roger hotel, that hot guy in the bodega, and countless others - but I don't want to get HPV.

I feel like AIDS, gnorrorhea, and syphyllis are under control if you use a condom and choose the right partner. Condoms are no protection against chlamydia but if you go to the gyno regularly they'll catch it and give you an antibiotic. Herpes is a bit more difficult to manage because a condom isn't 100% but we have valtrex and it won't kill you.

But HPV and the link to cancer scares the shit out of me. And you can pass it orally by kissing. Last time I was at my gyno she swabbed my mouth because she said that oral HPV is skyrocketing.

I think we should give both boys and girls the vaccine (and I'm not a fan of vaccines) to get this virus out of the population. Who cares how old they are. Have you ever seen someone who has oral cancer. They literally have to cut your face out to get rid of the cancerous cells...parts of your jaw bone etc.

Time to get real people.

Safety

tom.penry's picture
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 12:42
tom.penry

What about polyurathane condoms

quickie on chlamydia

Thu, 02/19/2009 - 14:25
croemita

Carlin,

I disagree with your comment that "Condoms are no protection against chlamydia". Condoms HAVE been shown to decrease rates of chlamydia infection and I would hate for someone to think that if they go to their doctor regularly they have nothing to worry about.

Sadly, chlamydia can be asymptomatic initially (fewer than 20% of infected women report discomfort) and quickly lead to sterility. The inflammation caused by chlamydia infection causes damage to the fallopian tubes that is irreversible if left untreated. Also, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that once diagnosed can be extremely difficult to treat from a pain standpoint - often young women with this disease, despite being "cured" of the chlamydia or gonnorhea, have  so much pain that they require hysterectomies or removal of all the reproductive organs to achieve pain relief.

Hope this helps. Be well!

~M

hpv

Thu, 02/19/2009 - 14:11
croemita

It's my day off from the lab and hence I'm posting like a fiend. I figured I'd chime in with some real world data with regards to the Human Papilloma Virus. First this little virus (literally, it's one of the tiniest known viral species) is SUPER common. Actually, this small size is part of what makes HPV so problematic; it may be able to pass through latex pores in many condoms. And, as you know, it is easily transmitted via skin-to-skin contact.

HPV comes in a little over a hundred different strains and the vast majority are pretty harmless. Just two of these (types 6 and 11) are known to cause around 90% of all genital warts. That said, neither of these two strains are known to cause cervical cancer, or for that matter any cancer of the mucous membranes (ie. mouth, throat).

The current vaccine against HPV is protective against these last two strains I mentioned and 2 other strains most commonly implicated in oral and cervical cancer. However there are 12 known HPV strains that are onco-genic, or tumor forming. One in particular (type 16) has a particular affinity for oral cancers.

So all this is scary right? But lets put it in perspective as to what this all means.

First, if you have visible warts. Congrats! you have an HPV infection, but not to worry, as I mentioned before the strains of HPV that cause visible warts - while gross and unsightly - are rarely troublesome in the area of cancers. That said, the grody little bumps caused by HPV can serve as a harbinger of worse things to come. After all, you now have VISUAL proof that you've been in contact with someone that harbors an STI. Don't feel bad; HPV has a prevalence of around 90% - meaning that 90% of people will have some kind of wart in their lifetime.

Second, on Gardasil. If you're even thinking about getting this vaccine just freaking do it. Vaccines are the ONLY protection we have against viral diseases. This vaccine, while not perfect, will cover the most common ailments associated with HPV i.e. strains 6,11, 16 and 18. Now if you recall 16 causes the oral cancers and 18 is most commonly responsible for cervical cancers.

Third, so, who is going to get cancer and end up disfigured or dead from an HPV infection? Lets look at the numbers. I have already mentioned that there are over 100 different strains and 90% of the population gets at least one of these in their lifetime.

What does this mean for you, the sexually active reader? Well, with respect to cervical cancers HPV is a big deal. More than 90% of all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. That amounts to almost half a million cases worldwide per year that could have been prevented by vaccination and safe sex. Scary!

What about oral cancer? There are approximately 400,000 cases of mouth and throat cancer reported around the world per year. Of these cases about 30% have been associated with HPV. The other 70% are associated with smoking, alcohol and betel nut chewing (a practice common in Eastern countries). That's less than 120,000 cancer cases in the WORLD that have some association with HPV. To put this in perspective, more that 5 times that number of people die of measles per year in the world.

So what is the take home message here???

1) ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFE SEX - this means oral, vaginal and anal.

2) Even if you are already sexually active, think about the Gardasil vaccine - it won't hurt you if you've already been exposed to the types of HPV it protects against, and it will definitely protect you if you have never been exposed. This applies to men as well as women.

3) Get annual PAP smears if you are sexually active - prevention and early detection are the only weapons we have against cervical cancer. This disease is almost ENTIRELY caused by HPV and can be prevented if we take action.

4) If you have warts or an abnormal PAP - don't freak out... yet. Warts are not going to give you cancer and you should take them as a warning to improve your safe sex practice. Abnormal PAP smears are very common as the test is imperfect. That said, with one abnormal PAP your risk for cervical cancer increases and women should be diligent about following up with their doctors when these test results return as abnormal.

I hope this post helps many to understand a bit more about what HPV is and what its effects are. In a typical healthy person this shouldn't be a huge concern. A strong immune system and thoughtful prevention will give you all the help you need in avoiding problems with this virus. Be well!