The risks of developing oral cancer from oral sex are significantly higher in smokers, according to a large study.
Blowjob or cigarette: you have to choose. According to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), smokers who practice oral sex increase their risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity (tongue, palate, tonsil, pharynx). At issue: the HPV16 papillomavirus.
At the origin of 80% of throat cancers, the virus is transmitted by fellatio or cunnilingus, explain the researchers. This type of tumor has increased by 225% in the United States for twenty years. One population in particular swells the numbers: smokers.
3 cigarettes per day: 31% more risk
To carry out this survey, the researchers followed 6,887 participants, a third of whom use tobacco. The virus was detected by mouth rinsing. According to the results of the study, the risks multiply depending on the consumption of tobacco (smoked or chewed). Thus, 3 cigarettes per day would increase the risk of infection by HPV16 by 31%. For 4 cigarettes, this rate rises to 68% …
“These results show that even limited tobacco use is linked to a high frequency of oral HPV16 infection,” concludes Dr Carole Fakhry, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, co -author of the study.
Smokers, less resistant to HPV
The link between tobacco and oral sex remains poorly understood, but the study suggests that smokers are much less resistant to HPV16 than non-smokers. “We suspect that a smoker’s organism might not get rid of this pathogen so easily,” says Dr. Gypsyamber D’Souza, assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, east. , main author of the study.
The study may seem alarming, given the number of smokers and people who have oral sex. However, the authors temper their results: “Oral sex is common but this cancer is still rare”, despite the strong increase recorded in the United States, underlines Dr. D’Souza.
Besides tobacco, a combination of factors could explain that some people carrying the HPV16 papillomavirus develop oropharyngeal cancers linked to this virus, while others do not. Further studies will be necessary to determine these risk factors. To be continued !
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