BEWARE: You Can Get Cancer From Oral Séx
Actor Michael Douglas made headline after he said that his throat cancer may have been caused by the human papillomavirus transmitted through oral sex.
The link between oral sex, HPV and cancer has been receiving more attention in recent years.
HPV is a virus that's transmitted through sexual contact , genital or oral.
There are more than 40 types, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and approximately 79 million Americans are
currently infected. Most people have no symptoms.
According
to CDC, "HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women
will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. In most
cases, the virus goes away and it does not lead to any health problems.
There is no certain way to know which people infected with HPV will go
on to develop cancer."
HPV
is thought to cause 1,700 oropharyngeal, or throat, cancers in women
and 6,700 oropharyngeal cancers in men each year, according to the CDC. Tobacco and alcohol use may play a
role in who develops cancer from the virus, the government agency notes.
A
2001 study found that the proportion of oropharyngeal cancers related
to HPV increased from 16.3% to 71.7% between 1984 and 2004. Data
presented that same year at the American Association for the Advancement
of Science annual meeting suggested HPV was overtaking tobacco as the
leading cause of oral cancers in Americans under the age of 50.
The virus is transmissible regardless of whether the sexual contact is heterosexual or homosexual.
The
CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend both boys and
girls get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12. Doctors say the
vaccine is most effective if administered before a child becomes
sexually active.
HPV has also been linked to cervical cancer, penile cancer and anal cancer, according to the CDC.
Of
course, HPV is not the only danger of having unprotected oral sex.
Sexually transmitted diseases like herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV
can be also be spread through the act.
To stay safe, the CDC recommends always using a condom and getting tested regularly.
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