Oral Sex Could be the Reason Behind Throat Cancer

Some experts are calling throat cancer an ‘epidemic’. Over the past two decades, there has been a rise in throat cancer known as oropharyngeal cancer, which is the area of the tonsils and back of the throat. The human papillomavirus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer, is the primary cause of this cancer. In the United States and the United Kingdom, oropharyngeal cancer is currently more frequently diagnosed than cervical cancer.

Multiple Oral Sex Partners May Cause Throat Cancer

While HPV is sexually transmitted, the main risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex. Those who have had six or more oral sex partners in their lifetime are 8.5 times more likely to acquire oropharyngeal cancer than those who have never had oral sex.

Wide Prevalence of Oral Sex Could be the Reason Behind Throat Cancer

In recent times, research has shown that oral sex is very prevalent in some countries. In a study conducted in almost 1,000 people having tonsillectomy for non-cancer reasons in the UK, 80% of adults reported practicing oral sex at some point in their lives. Thankfully, only a small number of those people develop oropharyngeal cancer. The reason for this is unclear.

The theory is that most of us catch HPV infections but are able to get rid of them completely. However, a small number of people are not able to clear off the infection, maybe due to a defect in a particular aspect of their immune system.

In certain cases, the virus can reproduce indefinitely and integrate at random positions into the host's DNA, some of which can cause the host cells to become cancerous.

Recently, HPV vaccination of young girls has been implemented in many countries for the prevention of cervical cancer. Now there might be increasing evidence that it may also be effective in preventing HPV infection in the mouth.

There is additional evidence that boys are protected by 'herd immunity' in places with high immunization coverage for girls (above 85%). Taken collectively, this could lead to a reduction in oropharyngeal cancer in a few decades.

If coverage among girls is high, and only if one remains within the covered ‘herd’. It does not, however, guarantee protection at an individual level – and especially in this age of international travel – if, for example, someone has sex with someone from a country with low coverage. It certainly does not afford protection in countries where vaccine coverage of girls is low, for example, the US, where only 54.3% of adolescents aged 13 to 15 years had received two or three HPV vaccination doses in 2020.
HPV Vaccine for Boys As a result, numerous nations, notably the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, have expanded their national guidelines for HPV vaccination to include young boys, a strategy known as gender-neutral vaccination.

However, having a universal vaccination policy will not guarantee coverage. There is a significant proportion of some populations that are opposed to HPV vaccination due to concerns about safety, necessity, or, less commonly, because of concerns about encouraging promiscuity. Contrary to popular belief, there is some evidence from population studies indicating that young adults may engage in oral sex instead of penetrative intercourse, at least at first.

The coronavirus pandemic has also presented new obstacles. For starters, reaching out to young people in schools was difficult for a time. Second, in many countries, there has been an increase in general vaccine reluctance, or ‘anti-vax’ views, which may potentially lead to a decrease in vaccine uptake.

As always, when dealing with populations and behavior, nothing is simple or straightforward.

Reference:

1. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Effectiveness and Potential Herd Immunity for Reducing Oncogenic Oropharyngeal HPV-16 Prevalence in the United Kingdom: A Cross-sectional Study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30590469/)

Source-Medindia