A UK head, neck and thyroid surgeon has identified 0ral s3x as one of the reasons majority of people are getting throat cancer nowadays.
Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that tends to affect people between 50 and 80 but is becoming more prevalent among younger generations because it is linked to human papillomavirus (HPV).
According to the WHO, over 10,000 Americans alone were diagnosed of the illness in 2023.
Dr. Hisham Mehanna, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said those with six or more lifetime oral-sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practice oral sex.
“HPV is s3xually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex,” Dr. Hisham Mehanna, wrote Monday, October 21 on the Conversation research site.
“Those with six or more lifetime oral s3x partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practice oral sex,” Mehanna added.
The cancer strikes the middle portion of the throat, behind the mouth. That area includes the soft palate, tonsils, back of the tongue and the sides and back of the throat.
Symptoms include a sore throat that doesn’t subside, difficulty swallowing, an inability to fully open the mouth, trouble moving the tongue, unexplained weight loss, ear pain, a lump in the back of the mouth, throat or neck, a persistent white patch on the tongue or lining of the mouth and a cough that produces blood.
Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, a combination of the two treatments, or surgery to remove the tumor are common approaches to oropharyngeal cancer.
HPV-caused oropharyngeal cancer tends to have a better prognosis than cases linked to heavy smoking or drinking. About 70% of patients will survive their cancer five years or longer after diagnosis.
“The prevailing theory is that most of us catch HPV infections and are able to clear them completely. However, a small number of people are not able to get rid of the infection, maybe due to a defect in a particular aspect of their immune system,” Mehanna explained.
“In those patients, the virus is able to replicate continuously, and over time integrates at random positions into the host’s DNA, some of which can cause the host cells to become cancerous,” he continued.
Mehanna endorses vaccination for girls and boys, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting starting at 11 or 12 or as early as 9.
Extra vaccinations shots are recommended up to 27 years of age for those who didn’t get them when they were younger.
Mehanna acknowledged that this may be an unpopular opinion, “There is a significant proportion of some populations who are opposed to HPV vaccination due to concerns about safety, necessity, or, less commonly, due to concerns about encouraging promiscuity.”
“As always when dealing with populations and behavior, nothing is simple or straightforward.” he added