The US and the UK are suffering from an ‘epidemic’ of throat cancer – and experts are pointing to oral sex as the culprit.
Dr. Hisham Mehanna of Britain’s University of Birmingham said 70 percent of throat cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a normally harmless virus that is sexually transmitted and is linked to several types of cancer.
Dr. Mehanna said people who have multiple oral sex partners have up to a nine-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
There is a vaccine for HPV, but only 54 percent of Americans have received it — well below the 80 percent figure considered the public safety threshold.
Doctors have warned that HPV – the world’s most common sexually transmitted disease – is the biggest risk factor for throat cancer in men and women (stock)
This graph shows how the number of new cases of throat cancer in the United States has increased since 1999. It rises by about one percent per year in women and by three percent in men
Dr. Mehanna wrote in The Conversation: “During the past two decades there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in what some have called an epidemic.
“This is because of a sharp rise in a certain type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer.”
Oropharyngeal cancer is the most common form of throat cancer. It appears in the tonsils and throat.
Doctors consider HPV infection to be the biggest risk factor for the development of the disease.
Dr. Hisham Mehanna is a surgeon from the University of Birmingham, UK. He warned against cancer.
Dr. Mehanna continued, “HPV is sexually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the most important risk factor is the number of lifetime sex partners, especially oral sex.
“People with six or more lifetime oral sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not engage in oral sex.”
More than 50,000 cases of oral or oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths each year.
However, the number of cases is growing by 1.3 percent a year in women and 2.8 percent in men, according to the American Cancer Society.
Doctors have found oral sex to be the biggest risk factor for them – faster than smoking, alcohol consumption and an unhealthy diet.
This is because the actions can lead to HPV infection in the throat or near the tonsils.
These infections go away on their own in most cases, but sometimes they can persist and cause cancer.
NYU Langone scientists estimate that up to 70 percent of throat cancer cases are caused by HPV infection.
In the UK, combined head and neck cancer accounts for more than 12,000 cases and 4,000 deaths each year.
These data show that throat cancer rates are rising in the UK as well as in the US
Many Americans are unaware that HPV can cause cancer
A shocking result was revealed in a study by doctors at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan.
HPV is a common virus that is transmitted through vaginal, anal and oral sex with someone who is already infected.
There is a vaccine against HPV. It is more than 80 percent effective and widely available in the developed world.
It is a two-dose vaccine for children between the ages of 11 and 12. The injections are given 12 months apart.
For people who missed this window, a three-dose injection is available for people aged 15 to 26.
The shot was only available to women in the US until 2020, when eligibility was extended to men.
It comes after a survey found fewer and fewer Americans are aware that HPV can cause cervical cancer.
Research has shown that the percentage of people who know it can cause cancer has fallen by seven percent since 2014, one of the world’s most common STIs.
Dr. Eric Boakye, an assistant scientist at Henry Ford Health Center in Detroit, Michigan, who led the research, said: “More than 90 percent of HPV-associated cancers are preventable with the HPV vaccine, but vaccine uptake remains suboptimal .”
“Given the associations between awareness of HPV-associated cancer and HPV vaccine acceptance, it is important that we increase public awareness of this association, as this may help increase vaccine acceptance.”
He added, “Research has shown that the public has a high level of confidence in the HPV information they receive from health care providers.”
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
