“We are observing a slow epidemic of cancers of the oral route, in the United States and in countries of northern Europe, caused by sexually transmitted papillomaviruses” summarize American researchers in a study published by the American Federal Centers of Control and of disease prevention (CDC).
This type of cancer would increase due to infections caused by papillomaviruses (those against which young girls now protect themselves by vaccinating themselves before being sexually active), transmitted during oral-genital relations “in subjects who became sexually active very young and who have had multiple partners” explain the authors of the study.
Example of this epidemic of mouth and throat cancers, in Stockholm, the incidence of tonsil cancer resulting from a papillomavirus infection has increased sevenfold in thirty years: oropharyngeal cancers caused by infection with papillomaviruses now account for one third of oral cavity cancers diagnosed each year in Sweden.
This observation has been taken seriously enough by the International Agency for Research on Cancer since it has decided to recognize papillomaviruses as a risk factor oropharyngeal cancers in addition to smoking and alcohol consumption.
