Can Oral Sex Cause Throat Cancer? – FreeHealthCommunity.com
Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer
(oropharyngeal cancer) three years ago. He initially said it was caused by
years of heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and stress. However, he recently told The
Guardian newspaper that it was caused by oral sex (cunnilingus).
In an Interview with Guardian reporter, Xan Brooks, Douglas
said that his type of cancer was caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV)
"which actually comes from cunnilingus". His agent later said Douglas
had been talking generally, and not about his own cancer, but the Guardian
responded by publishing the sound recording of the interview that clearly
showed he blamed oral sex for his cancer, and not years of drinking, smoking
and stress.
Douglas first revealed details of his throat cancer in the
David Letterman Show, in September 2010.
So, what is the risk of developing throat cancer from oral
sex?
Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD, MPH, from the Johns Hopkins School
of Public Health, and team explained at the American Society of Clinical
Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, that throat cancers that
arise from HPV do not appear to raise the risk for domestic partners of the
same cancer.
Dr. D'Souza explained that in their pilot study, they found
that the prevalence of HPV among partners/spouses of an affected patient was
approximately 7%, no different from that of the general population.
The team found that the HPV 16 subtype was present in just
2% of female partners and 0% of male partners. HPV 16 is responsible for the
majority of throat cancers. Of the partners/spouses who underwent a visual oral
exam, none had cancer or pre-cancer.
D'Souza explained that the risk of developing head and neck
cancers for people whose partners have HPV-related cancer is very low.
At a press briefing, D'Souza said "Many people become
infected but are able to clear those infections."
The researchers added that partners who have been together
for a long time probably already share whatever infections they have. No
changes in physical intimacy are needed, they emphasized. Put more simply
"Couples will infect each other with whatever they have anyway - oral sex
will neither increase nor reduce infection risk".
Oral sex with 6 or more partners raises risk of throat
cancer, said one study
In a study published in NEJM (New England Journal of
Medicine), Dr Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and team suggested that people who have oral sex
with at least 6 different partners have a significantly higher risk of
developing throat cancer.
The team recruited 100 patients who had recently been
diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer, as well as 200 "healthy"
individuals (the control group).
They found that people who had at least 6 oral-sex partners
during their lifetime were 3.4 times more likely to have throat cancer. Those
with 26 or more vaginal-sex partners had a 3.1 times higher risk of developing
throat cancer.
What are the risk factors for throat cancer?
Smoking - this is by far the most important risk factor for
throat cancer. Regular, long-term, heavy smokers are 20 times more likely to
develop some type of throat cancer compared to non-smokers.
Alcohol - heavy, chronic alcohol consumption, particularly
spirits, also raises the risk of developing throat cancer.
People who do both - drink and smoke a lot - have the
highest risk.
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