Oral sex worsens oropharyngeal cancer, surgeon says

About 18,000 Americans are diagnosed with new cases of oropharyngeal cancer every year, and British head and neck thyroid surgeons are targeting oral sex.

Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that tends to affect people between the ages of 50 and 80, but is becoming increasingly prevalent among younger generations because of its link to the human papillomavirus (HPV).

“HPV is sexually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex,” Dr. Hisham Mehanna, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, wrote on The Conversation research website on Monday.

Mehanna added: “Those who had six or more oral sex partners in their lifetime were 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who did not engage in oral sex.”

The cancer attacks the middle part of the throat at the back of the mouth. This area includes the soft palate, tonsils, back of the tongue, and the sides and back of the throat.

Symptoms include persistent sore throat, difficulty swallowing, inability to fully open the mouth, difficulty moving the tongue, unexplained weight loss, ear pain, lumps in the back of the mouth, throat, or neck, and persistent white vaginal discharge. Plaques on the tongue or lining of the mouth and a bloody cough.

Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, a combination of both treatments, or surgical removal of the tumor are common treatments for oropharyngeal cancer.

Oropharyngeal cancers caused by HPV tend to have a better prognosis than those caused by heavy smoking or drinking. About 70% of cancer patients survive five or more years after diagnosis.

There are more than 200 strains of HPV, some of which can cause genital warts or cervical cancer—more than 42 million Americans carry a virus known to cause disease.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with at least 13 million new infections each year.

“The prevailing theory is that most of us become infected with HPV viruses and are able to completely clear them. However, a small number of people are unable to get rid of the infection, which may be due to a defect in a specific aspect of the immune system,” explains Mehanna.

“In these patients, the virus is able to continuously replicate and integrate into the host’s DNA at random locations over time, some of which may cause the host cells to become cancerous,” he continued.

Mehanna supports vaccination of both girls and boys, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends starting at age 11 or 12 or as early as age 9.

For those who were not vaccinated when they were younger, a catch-up vaccine is recommended before age 27.

Mehanna acknowledges that this can be an unpopular view, “There is a significant minority of people who are opposed to HPV vaccination due to concerns about safety, necessity, or, less commonly, concerns about encouraging promiscuity.”

He added: “As always, nothing is simple or straightforward when it comes to dealing with crowds and behaviour.”

The New York Department of Health assures that the vaccine is a “safe and effective way to prevent serious health problems that may be caused by HPV.”

As of last year, about 61% of U.S. teenagers had received this series of vaccines, and about 77% had received at least one dose.

KFF reports that this percentage of youth varies from state to state, from 39 percent in Mississippi to 85 percent in Rhode Island.