A University of Birmingham doctor said that 70% of throat cancer that they found were linked to an infection in the papillomavirus (HPV)reports the DailyMail. According to him, oral sex could lead to this type of cancer.
He even mentions an “epidemic” of a certain type of throat cancer, cancer of the oropharynx, whose main risk factor would be HPV. 50,000 cases would be detected in the United States each year, resulting in 10,000 deaths. And theAmerican Cancer Society emphasizes that the number of cases is increasing, especially among men, with 2.8% more in one year, and 1.3% more among women per year.
The more sexual partners you have, the more exposed you are
The more sexual partners one would have, the more one would be exposed to the possibility of this disease. “Those who have, during their lifetime, six (or more) sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to have oropharyngeal cancer“, explained Dr Hisham Mehanna, a surgeon in Birmingham. This would be explained by the fact that oral sex brings the virus far into the throat, at the level of the tonsils, note the doctors.
Of course, this is not the only factor: alcohol consumption, diet and smoking are also involved. One more reason to remember that vaccination against the papillomavirus is essential to protect against the cancers associated with it.
Sources: American Cancer Society, DailyMail
