Oral sex mouth cancer risk link

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 26 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Oral sex can increase your chances of developing mouth cancer, say scientists. They say the risk, in comparison to drinking and smoking is small, however.

The researchers thought that maybe a sexually transmitted infection that increases cervical cancer risk could also increase the risk of tumours (tumors) in the mouth.

According to researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France, the link has been confirmed. They say that oral sex can lead to mouth cancer (tumours).

Over 1600 patients were examined in this study. Patients were from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba and the Sudan. These 1600 patients had oral cancer. They were compared to 1700 people without oral cancer.

Patients with oral cancer which contains HPV16 (a strain of the human papilloma virus) were three times more likely to say that they had oral sex (than those without the virus strain).

According to the researchers, cunnilingus and fellatio may infect people's mouths, said the researchers.

A virologist who was involved in the study, Raphael Viscvidi, said that he thinks the study confirms a link between HPV and oral cancer. "This is a major study in terms of size. I think this will convince people.'

Over-indulging in alcohol and smoking is probably responsible for 75-90% of all oral cancers. The two together, drinking alcohol and smoking, produce high levels of cancer causing agents.

A vaccine which could prevent cervical cancer might also work for oral infections, said the researchers.

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