Copyright 2012, The Associated Press
According to a report published last year by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the leading cause of oral cancer is no longer from smoking or drinking, but from oral sex. Nearly two-thirds of all oral cancer diagnosis in the United States is now from transmission of the human papillomavirus (HPV) through engaging in oral sex.
HPV is considered the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI), which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 50 percent of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their life.
Most commonly, HPV is associated with cervical cancer in women, but according to the report, the number of HPV-related oral cancer cases will surpass those of HPV-related cervical cancer cases by the year 2020.
One theory tied to the increase according to a statement released by one of the report’s authors, Maura L. Gillison, states, “Today’s teens consider oral sex to be casual, socially acceptable, inconsequential, and significantly less risky to their health than ‘real’ sex. However, oral sex, like any unprotected sex, can result in transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as human papilloma virus (HPV).”
While the large spike in oral cancer cases through HPV transmission is expected to continue, there are steps people can take to prevent their cancer risk. Last year, the CDC changed its recommendations on HPV vaccination, which had previously been solely for girls and young women ages nine through 26, to include vaccinations of boys and young men of the same age.
The vaccines have been shown to be effective against HPV, and specifically HPV 16 and HPV 18, which are thought to cause most cervical cancers, and other HPV cancers including oral cancer. The CDC now recommends the vaccination of all girls and boys aged 11-12 years, if they hadn’t already received the vaccine, in order to head off HPV infection before they become sexually active.
For Dr. Sara Cole, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies, the inclusion of young men makes perfect sense.
“I absolutely agree that boys/men and girls/women should get the vaccine. The virus can be transmitted during opposite-sex and same-sex intimate contact (skin-to-skin, not necessarily penetration or bodily fluids), so all individuals who plan to become sexually active at any time during their lives should get the vaccine,” Cole said. “It’s a vaccine that prevents cancers related to HPV. If there was a vaccine for breast cancer or lung cancer, people would probably want to get it.”
The more sexual partners one engages with, as well as the frequency of performing oral sex, increase the chances of developing a HPV-related cancer. In many cases, the cancers can take years to develop, so the risks taken in one’s youth might not be pronounced until middle age.
Aside from getting the vaccine to help prevent the risk of cancer, there are other steps people should consider. Limiting the number of partners and routinely getting tested for STI’s can decrease your risk level, as well as being aware of someone’s alcohol and drug use, as people tend to engage in higher risk behaviors when under the influence.
Cole offers one last bit of advice for those concerned about HPV and its risk of cancer.
“I always encourage young people to make educated choices about their behaviors, whether that is abstinence or safer sex, only they know,” she said.
Cole said that people should get tested for STI’s, which routine pap smears do not test for. In addition, we should all be experts on our own bodies…thus, if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know,” Cole said. “Know your status. Protect yourself. Protect others. It’s all part of being a sexually responsible adult.”
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