Big Blow for Lovers
By Faith Smith
Scientists have today revealed that casual sex can endanger our health more than smoking or drinking. Researchers found patients who previously had oral sex-linked infections were 32 times more likely to develop throat cancer - much higher than the threefold increase for smokers and 2½-fold for drinkers.Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found conclusive evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be caught by having multiple oral sex partners, is the strongest risk factor for the disease.
The study, carried out by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, looked at 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. Participants who reported having more than six oral sex partners were 8.6 times more likely to develop the HPV-linked cancer.
Surprisingly, the data showed that smoking and drinking didn't increase the risk of HPV carriers developing throat cancer. Maura Gillison M.D., study author and professor of oncology, said, "It's the virus that drives the cancer. Since HPV has already disrupted the cell enough to steer its change to cancer, then tobacco and alcohol use may have no further impact."
Oral HPV infection is transmitted mainly by fellatio and cunnilingus, although mouth-to-mouth transmission remains possible. Both men and women contract the virus in equal numbers, but Gillison adds, "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."
Still, it is worrying to learn that not only smoking 'cancer sticks', but sucking on them, can cause the deadly disease.
Image: EmmiP
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