Experts warn oral sex fuels UK and US throat cancer “epidemic.” 2023
According to specialists, oral sex fuels a “epidemic” of throat cancer, which is now more prevalent than cervical cancer in the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to a new study, this has led to a significant increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer, which effects the tonsils and back of the throat.
This, according to Dr. Hisham Mehanna of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is also the leading cause of cervix cancer.
Multiple oral sex partners increased cancer risk by roughly nine times
In an article for The Conversation, Dr. Mehanna stated, “Throat cancer has increased so rapidly in the West over the past two decades that some have referred to it as an epidemic.
This is owing to a significant increase in oropharyngeal cancer, a type of throat cancer.
Dr. Mehanna continued, “HPV is transmitted sexually. The primary risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer is the number of lifetime sexual partners, particularly oral intercourse.
Oropharyngeal cancer is 8.5 times more probable in those with six or more oral-sex partners than in those who do not engage in oral sex.
HPV infection is the greatest risk factor for developing the disease.
Dr. Mehanna reported that 80% of adults in the United Kingdom have engaged in oral sex at some stage in their lives.
According to the NHS, around 8,300 individuals are diagnosed with throat cancer annually in the United Kingdom, which is approximately 1 in every 50 cancers diagnosed.
More than two-thirds of mouth cancer cases occur in adults aged 55 and older. Only 1 in 8 (12.5%) cases occur in individuals under the age of 50.
Oral intercourse, according to doctors, is the greatest risk factor for developing cancer, surpassing smoking, alcohol consumption, and an unhealthy diet.
Dr. Mehanna explained that this may result in an HPV infection in the back of the esophagus or close to the tonsil. In most instances, these infections resolve on their own, but they can sometimes persist and cause cancer.
HPV is a prevalent virus transmitted through vaginal, anal, and oral sex with an infected partner.
There is an HPV vaccine that is more than 80% efficacious and widely available in the developed world.
According to the most recent government data, 67.3% of English females who complete a 2-dose HPV vaccine schedule by 9th grade are vaccinated against HPV. 62.4 percent of males are double-vaccinated.