Every Saturday the CSPH highlights news or recent research in the field of human sexuality. This week we’re discussing recent research about the growth in the prevalence of oral cancer as a result of the Human Papillomavirus or the HPV virus.
Researchers from Ohio State University and the National Cancer Institute found that HPV-positive tumors now account for a majority of the cases of oropharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the middle area of the throat. Tobacco and alcohol have traditionally been the major causes of mouth and throat tumors, while the HPV virus is best known for causing cervical cancer in women. While it has been known for a while that men can be carriers of the virus, until recently, there was no evidence showing that the virus had harmful effects on men. This new research reports that both women and men can get oral cancer caused by HPV and that the risk is the greatest for men. According to Dr. Maura Gillison, senior author of the research, oral cancer has always been a bigger threat to men than women with women accounting for only about 1 in 4 cases. There are nearly 10,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancer a year, and overall incidence has risen by 28% since 1988. The researchers estimated that about 8,700 cases of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer will be reported by 2020, about 7,400 of them in men.
Dr. Amy Chen of the American Cancer Society, who was quoted in The Huffington Post Online discussing this study, claims more data is needed regarding HPV leading to oral cancer. She also stated that patients with HPV-linked oral tumors have better survival odds than those with other types of this cancer, possibly because they tend to be younger. While HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, studies show women’s bodies usually clear the virus from the cervix quickly and that only an infection that persists for years is a cancer risk. The prevalence of cervical cancer has also been dropping steadily thanks to better pap smears and will hopefully decrease even more with the availability of the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine, while preventing many common types of the virus that tend to lead to cervical cancer and genital warts, does not prevent all types of HPV. There are approximately 40 known genital types of HPV – some can lead to cervical cancer and others can cause genital warts (it is possible to contract both). The vaccine is currently approved for both young women and boys to prevent the contraction of specific strands, but protection against oral HPV has not been studied in either gender.
Many sexual health professionals encourage people engaging in oral sex, especially with a new partner, to use a condom or male or dental dam in order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). While getting yourself and your partner(s) tested before engaging in unprotected sex is an extremely good idea, the problem with the HPV virus is that it is not screened for in a typical STD test. Because of the risk of spreading or contracting oral HPV, it is a good idea to go to a doctor after experiencing a sore throat for longer than two weeks even if you are not a smoker or a drinker.
Click here to read the Huffington Post article.
This text is priceless. Where can I find out more?
Hi there!
For more information on HPV and oral cancer, oralcancerfoundation.org is a great place to start. They have two really comprehensive articles (one and two) on the topic and include links to articles written in medical journals on the issue. The National Cancer Institute has also has information on HPV and oral cancer.
Let us know if you have any more questions!
–You didn’t explain why HPV isn’t spread by French kissing instead of by oral sex. Or is it? Maybe people should use dental dams while kissing.
–You didn’t explain which types of oral cancers might be HPV-associated, and which aren’t.
–You didn’t explain why the vast majority of the HPV-associated cancers appear to be in men and not women.
There have been a couple of studies on this subject and the results don’t all line up as neatly as the Huffpo article indicates.
Hi Paul,
These are all very good points. This information is constantly changing and you are right – the information isn’t streamlined yet. The purpose of these features is to try to respond to these studies as they come out. However, the recent edition of the Journal Of Sexual Medicine, they challenged what the popular press articles are saying on the issue, and essentially said there is little reason for public concern.
One of the reasons pelvic exams are required even by those who have not had PIV or oral sex by age 23, is because HPV, while rare, can be spread by hand to genital contact. We are not advocating for people to Saran wrap over their entire body, but we feel these issues need to be explored more deeply. We’re really glad you made these points so we can elaborate further.
Yes, I’ve been more than a little concerned about the creation of a new hysteria when I’m seeing lots of question marks in the actual research. I think we also need to be sensitized for the stampede (and large potential profit stream) to get boys vaccinated for HPV. Maybe it will turn out HPV vaccination eliminates a few thousand oral cancers 30 years from now, and that would be wonderful if it did, but imagine how many more cancers would be eliminated if we spent that money on smoking prevention programs?
As for using saran wrap or other barriers during oral sex with women, if you are going to recommend that, then you should probably recommend using saran wrap for French kissing as well. I’m not sure how the former makes any more sense than the latter.
Interestingly, the research so far doesn’t seem to be showing an increase in HPV-associated oral cancers in gay men. If you’d think anyone would be getting this from oral sex, it would be gay males. So I remain rather confused by the research. Unfortunately, the media loves to seize upon anything negative about sex, and what better topic than the oral sex that men give to women.