Did you know that oral sex can lead to cancer? Yes, you read that right! According to a recent study you can get throat cancer from oral sex. Human papillomavirus (HPV) can be passed from person to person during sex as well as oral sex and lead to cancer.

It is only recently that among youngsters oral sex has been known become one of the major causes of throat cancer. Earlier, it was only smoking and drinking that was considered to be the primary causes of mouth and throat cancer.  Unfortunately, the cases of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is increasing day by day and even  healthy individuals with no history of smoking or drinking are becoming more prone to  the development of oropharyngeal cancer.

What are the possible causes of Mouth and throat cancer?

Apart from tobacco, smoking and alcohol abuse, it has recently emerged that even oral sex can lead to throat cancer. Oral sex can cause HPV infection in the mouth, in fact, according to a study 1 out of 3 throat cancers and 1 out of 4 mouth cancers are related to HPV, especially in younger patients.

How can you get throat or mouth cancer because of oral sex?

HPV found in the mouth are 80 percent of the time sexually transmitted which leaves oral sex to be the main route of getting them. Out of the 100 types of HPV, around 15 are cancerous and are called high-risk HPV types. These 15 are known as high-risk HPV types. These HPVs can cause cancer of the tongue, mouth and the oropharynx which is the middle part of the throat from the tonsils to the tip of the voice box.

Who's more at risk, men or women?

While both men and women are at risk equally, some research suggests that men are more at the risk. According to the research, men and smokers carried potentially cancer-causing strains of HPV in their mouth and 6% of men and 1% of women were prone to it. Men with an increased number of oral sex partners were at higher risk. However, the study has its own set of limitations.

There is more to this problem than what meets the eye. The takeaway here is that you must always indulge in protected sex, get yourself screened and vaccinated against HPV.  And it is always advised to visit a doctor once in while for regular check-ups.

 

(Reference: Global epidemiology of oral and oropharyngeal cancer  and Oral sexual behaviors associated with prevalent oral human papillomavirus infection )

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2018 03:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).