Published in the May 10 edition of New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the study found that having multiple oral sex partners tops the list of sex practices that boosts the risk of HPV-linked cancer, regardless of tobacco or alcohol use.
In Study author and cancer virus expert Maura Gillison's study of 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer (located in the tonsils, back of the tongue, and throat), those who had evidence of prior HPV infection were 32 times more likely to develop the cancer. This was much higher than the rate increase of three-fold for smokers and two-fold for drinkers.
Study participants who reported having more than six oral sex partners in their lifetime were 8.6 times more likely to develop the HPV-linked cancer. In a surprising twist, Gillison says their data show no added risk for HPV carriers who smoke and drink alcohol.
"It's the virus that drives the cancer," explains Gillison, an assistant professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins. "Since HPV has already disrupted the cell enough to steer its change to cancer, then tobacco and alcohol use may have no further impact."
Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, however has disagreed with some of the findings.
"There is conflicting evidence about the role of HPV, and this rare type of throat cancer. As this was a small study, further research is needed to confirm these observations. We know that after age, the main causes of mouth cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, and drinking too much alcohol."
Gillison added that "people should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon, and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer."
Consistent condom use may reduce risk.
Oral sex, including both fellatio and cunnilingus, is the main mode of transit for oral HPV infection, the investigators say, although mouth-to-mouth transmission remains possible and was not ruled out by the current study.
According to News-medical.net, HPVs also can be transmitted by skin contact and are found in the mucus of the genital tract, and in saliva, urine, and semen. Both men and women contract the ubiquitous virus in equal numbers, which is believed to have infected a large proportion of people worldwide at some point in their lives. Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms, but a small percentage of men and women who acquire cancer-causing or "high-risk" strains, such as HPV 16, may develop a cancer. HPV-linked cancers currently include oral, anal, cervical, vaginal, penile, and vulvar cancers.
Gayhealth.com, a resource web site for the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual communities, noted that "the throat cancer study did not explore whether Gardasil, the Merck & Co. HPV vaccine approved by U.S. regulators in June, would be protective against oral infections."
The findings are expected to spur new debate over whether it should be more widely prescribed to boys and men since oral HPV infection occurs in both men and women who engaged in this type of sex. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently recommends for girls and women between 11 to 26 to be vaccinated against the cervical cancer causing virus.
Reader's Comments
a. all men should have their penises mutilated (circumcised) in order to "reduce" the possibility of contracting or passing along HIV
b. all men should wear condoms whenever they have any sexual-physical contact with another man's anus, penis, and mouth, to "reduce" the risk of passing on or catching any nasty viruses/STD's. (yum, latex tastes SO good!)
c. men and boys should be taking Gardasil which may or may not prevent the possible occurrence of a very rare form of throat cancer shown to be "linked" to oral sexual conduct, NOT to smoking or chewing binglang....yeah, right...
d. men and boys should stop having any sort of sexual-physical contact with each other, especially those who were abused as children, because this leads to all kinds of risky behavior later in life.
Let's see now...who benefits
a. oil companies who refine the latex used in condoms, but that's ok, right?
b. drug companies who make Gardasil. They deserve millions of dollars in revenue for their product development and research.
c. drug companies who make HIV cocktails because most men in the world will NOT practice a-d above and that's fine now that HIV is the new diabetes...a manageable, chronic illness, NOT a death sentence.
d. Psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and insurance companies who tend to the physical, medical and psychological "needs" of the general male population, who soon will be too fearful to pop a woody or unable to jerk off, let alone have sex with another human being and (gasp) actually ENJOY it.
e. drug companies who produce Viagra because 99% of all human males will soon NEED it if they ever hope to pop a woody ever again, due to all the fear now attached to the act of using their penises...
f. the planet we live on: because much of the educated population is SURE to begin shrinking (like our penises) since well-informed humans will be too paranoid to procreate any more, outside a test tube, that is.
I just LOVE these university studies...they make me feel so smart, informed and so horny.....la
we should just love and go with our instincts. try and avoid "dodgy people"
anyone who knows they have any kind of STD, however minor, should abstain till they're ok. have respect for yourself, others and remember karma
otherwise, just live and love well. have fun responsibly, sensitively and passionately. life is short and we should carpe diem!
condoms are necessary for anal sex, but i imagine would be awful for oral (and unnecessary - i think this study is too small and overly alarmist)
peace ;)
Any self respecting Gay man who says he does not liek cock sucking is NOT gay! hahahaha I guess we all just have to bear in mind not to suck on them drippy and pus ozzing cocks however delicious and tasty they look! :P
Who needs their tonsils anyways, don't people get them taken out while still youung?
Asked to follow:
a) wear condom when perform oral sex or blowjob
b) use drug
Conclusion:
a)i) wear glove while digging your nose. Shiock??
a)ii) sucking the cock or the rubber??
b) we will become drug addict and being punish to jail.
FUN?? I don't think so... Let's have our cock suck without condom... GAY MEN RULES...
More people die every year in the US from contaminated food found in fast food chains than people getting throat cancer from doing blowjobs. Still millions of people around the world eat at McD and other places where contaminated food is served daily.
So I don't know about you but I'll keep giving blowjobs.
i don't like giving blowjobs (i tend to gag on the bloody thing) BUT apparently when i do, i was told i'm really good at it..
so now, can i cite this study whenever my head (and mouth) is directed to the other guy's nether regions? ;p
how many death case relative with throat cancer by " blowjob " ?
when my throat gets sick I would not to suck dick but when I am fine I will do blow job all time
I am still doing it often
"DEATH IS CERTAIN, LIFE IS NOT" So I say, Eat, Drink, Smoke , and have Sex till ya can't and MOVE ON.. Hugz To Fridae for this more interesting article. ciao bello.....Lee
In order for this study to become an absolute truth, it needs to be verified and reverified again - the results have to be consistent with the original hypothesis. Yes, guys, remember this is just a hypothesis, in other words, it's a guessing job! - they can not guarantee that Oral sex gives you oral cancer, they just based their hypothesis on their findings, statistically!! instead of doing experiment (for example: infecting 1000 mice with HPV on their oral cavity lining and observe the development of cancer).
Just because not all of us are scientist/medical/clinician, doesn't mean we can't be critical and objective when reviewing such 'pop science' kinda news.
We have taken this report subjectively, reflecting it upon ourselves and our sex history - that's why newspapers and journalism exists, we human like to be entertained by sensational things, something that we could personally relate.
I'm not saying their hypothesis is definitely wrong but it just requires verification and/or experiment to support it.
Cheers! - don't stop having fun and still be responsible (to yourself).
Oral sex linked to mouth cancer? That suckssssss
the real REASONS and MOTIVES which drove a university study to publication. Studies utilize resources, cost money.
Is a study part of a post-graduate's thesis project?
Is the study sponsored by a special interest group?
Is the study government sponsored?
What are the real implications of the study?
How should the general population be advised to interpret and act on the findings of the study?
What does the study suggest in terms of etiology, progonisis, remedial action, cures?
What is the generally agreed statistical accuracy and value of the study's correlations? Even as an Psychology undergrad, the first thing I learned in Statistics 101 is that links and correlations can be found between anything and anything else in our universe. Links and correlations do not necessarily translate to a direct cause and effect relationship. BUT, the deployment of propaganda has a profound psychological effect. Go back to your video stores and rent "Wag the Dog"....see Hollywood's interpretation of how propaganda can be used to manipulate the masses into doing and believing virutally anything. As a young gay community that is just now finding new cohesiveness, let's just use our individual common sense and care for each other in a loving, responsible way, ok?
No one is saying not to have oral sex. Just as a link between eating high cholesterol food may lead to heart attacks, everything has its consequences. Some risks are worth it, some are not, but at least be aware of what the risks are and make your own informed decision.
Such babies, all of you. How do you expect anyone to take you seriously (and by "you", I mean, gay men) if you can't even be objective about scientific findings?
In fact, the current push is to vaccinate young girls against HPV, BEFORE their first sexual experience, in order to reduce risk of HPV/cervical cancer.
To downplay this study simply on the basis of "propaganda" is irresponsible and just plain stupid.
the next thing they tell us is that eating actually causes harm to ur teeth and mouth... and what not!
if i want t suck a juicy cock, i do so with out a condom and if i want t lick a girl's hotspots, i shall also do so with my naked tongue...
it hanst harmed me in the past - on the contrary! and if, so what? what better death then when having sex?
i love sex and i will continue t have it the natural way...
interesting..
I REALLY needed t know that..
but it's nice knowing..
I put it up as my MSN name~ ;P
After all, it's a wise act to check the penis one is gonna take into their whatever body part.
Virus like herpes and HPVs can infected through skins and even more readily broken skins.
When they appear, the patients have to suffer painful and unpleasant sensations at the affected areas including the buccal cavity, the rectum, etc... And it's not even funny.
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