{"id":367,"date":"2025-10-31T13:18:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/?p=367"},"modified":"2025-10-31T13:18:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:18:34","slug":"oral-sex-fueling-a-quiet-epidemic-of-throat-cancer-expert-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/?p=367","title":{"rendered":"Oral Sex Fueling a Quiet \u2018Epidemic\u2019 of Throat Cancer, Expert Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"02eb8743c28d6c1e6f2b405980996749\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : 'c8310ef23effe95e5309c38cfaf056e0',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 250,\r\n    'width' : 300,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/passivealexis.com\/c8310ef23effe95e5309c38cfaf056e0\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>In recent years, a dramatic rise in a particular type of throat cancer \u2014 known as oropharyngeal cancer \u2014 is drawing attention from experts, who say the root cause may be riskier sexual practices rather than the traditional culprits of smoking, heavy drinking or poor diet. According to Hisham Mehanna, a leading head and neck cancer specialist at University of Birmingham, oral sex \u2014 particularly with multiple lifetime partners \u2014 is now the main driver of this disease in Western countries.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mehanna explains that over the past two decades the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has surged to the point where some researchers are calling it an \u201cepidemic\u201d. This particular form of throat cancer \u2014 which affects areas such as the tonsils and the back of the throat \u2014 is now said to be more common than cervix cancer in both the UK and the US.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The unexpected risk factor<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, head and neck cancers have been linked to smoking, alcohol and poor nutrition. But the landscape is changing. According to Mehanna, the biggest risk now is the lifetime number of oral-sex partners a person has had. He points out that people who have had six or more oral-sex partners are up to 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than people who have not engaged in oral sex.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The underlying cause is infection with the high-risk strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted. These HPV strains are already well known for causing cervical cancer, but they also infect cells in the throat region. If the infection persists rather than being cleared by the immune system, it may cause changes that eventually lead to cancer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Why the sudden rise?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mehanna and colleagues suggest that changes in sexual behaviour over recent decades \u2014 including more people having oral sex and at younger ages \u2014 have contributed to the uptick in HPV-related throat cancers. In the UK, for example, around 80 % of adults report having engaged in oral sex at some point in their lives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the decline in smoking may mean fewer throat cancers caused by tobacco, shifting the balance toward HPV-linked cancers instead.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Important caveats<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth emphasising that while the relative risk is high, the absolute risk still remains relatively low. Although a history of multiple oral-sex partners significantly increases risk, only a small fraction of those exposed develop throat cancer. Mehanna specifically notes that \u201cmercifully \u2026 only a small number of those people develop oropharyngeal cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Also, other factors still play a role: immune system strength, age, gender (men appear more vulnerable), and whether the HPV infection persists are all contributors in the progression from infection to cancer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What you can do<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Be aware of persistent throat symptoms: a sore throat that doesn\u2019t go away, a lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing or unexplained weight loss may warrant a check-up.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>HPV vaccination: Originally promoted for cervical cancer prevention, HPV vaccination is increasingly recognised as a tool to reduce the risk of HPV-associated throat cancer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lower other risks: Not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and maintaining good oral hygiene can help reduce overall head and neck cancer risk.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Informed sexual behaviour: While oral sex is a normal part of many people\u2019s lives, understanding the risks associated with multiple partners and the possibility of HPV transmission can help you make more informed choices.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Source References<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. \u201cOral Sex Is the Leading \u2018Risk Factor\u2019 for a Throat Cancer, Expert Says\u201d \u2013 Business Insider.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2. \u201cOral Sex Is a Leading Factor in the Throat Cancer in the U.S., Doctor Says\u201d \u2013 People.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>3. \u201cOral sex stoking \u2018epidemic\u2019 of throat cancer, say experts\u201d \u2013 The Independent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>4. \u201cThe role of sexual behavior in head and neck cancer\u201d \u2013 PMC (NIH).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>5. \u201cOral sex \u2013 Oral Cancer News.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>6. Additional commentary articles.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent years, a dramatic rise in a particular type of throat cancer \u2014 known as oropharyngeal cancer \u2014 is drawing attention from experts, who say the root cause may be riskier sexual practices rather than the traditional culprits of smoking, heavy drinking or poor diet. According to Hisham Mehanna, a leading head and neck\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/?p=367\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=367"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":368,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions\/368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomynews.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}