Oral Cancer Cases Increasing 3 Times Fold For Oral Sex

Triggers cervical cancer in women, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is transmitted more frequently in men through oral sex. In the past 20 years alone, the number of patients with oral cancer caused by HPV has increased 3-fold.

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that cases of oral cancer induced by HPV increased approximately 3-fold in the last 20 years. Other triggers, namely cigarettes actually reduced in the same period.



In the period 1984-1989, positive cases of oral cancer caused by HPV recorded only 16.3 percent and the rest are caused by other factors including smoking habits. But in the period 2000-2004, the number increased sharply to 72 percent.

So far, more HPV infection is associated with risk of cervical cancer or cervix in women and only a few are found on anal cancer and penile cancer. But with these findings, the notion that cancer can be transmitted through oral sex is getting stronger.

"We found cases of oral cancer increased significantly. Because of the increase occurred when the habit of smoking is reduced, then the trigger is likely that HPV is transmitted through oral sex," said Anil Chaturvedi from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday (4/10/2011 ).

Chaturvedi revealed that data after examining 271 cancer patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer are diagnosed in the period 1984-2004. The participants who came from Hawaii, Iowa, and Los Angeles is observed from cancer tissue samples collected.

When examined in the laboratory, Chaturvedi found an HPV infection in the majority of cancer tissue samples. Types or strains of HPV that are found are the type-16, one of about 4 strains trigger cervical cancer in women.