Oral Sex Leading Cause of Oral Cancer

50% of men are infected with the HPV virus

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by Associated Press / FOX Charlotte

Story Created: Mar 2, 2011 at 6:28 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 2, 2011 at 6:28 PM EDT

Experts are calling for boys to be vaccinated against a sexually-transmitted virus after figures showed half of men are carrying the infection.

Certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) are known to cause cervical cancer in women and have been linked to big increases in rates of oral cancer.

A study, published in The Lancet, found that 50% of men are infected with the virus. It also discovered every year 6% of men in the general population will acquire the cancer-causing HPV type 16.

Dr. Maura Gillson of Ohio State University reported her group's findings to the American Association for the Advancement of Science this past weekend.  It is now the human papillomavirus (HPV)  that is the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer (67% of all oropharyngeal cancers), and the more oral sex one has, and the more partners one has, the greater the risk of getting these cancers, which tend to grow in the middle of the throat.

"An individual who has six or more lifetime partners — on whom they've performed oral sex – has an eightfold increase in risk compared to someone who has never performed oral sex," she said.

The research - conducted by scientists at the Cancer Center and Research Institute in Florida - has prompted experts to call for boys being vaccinated to stem the spread of the virus and prevent genital warts and anal cancers, which are also thought to be caused by HPV.

The study analyzed 1,159 men aged 18 to 70 years from the US, Brazil, and Mexico. It found that men who had 50 or more female sexual partners were 2.4 times more likely to have the cancer-causing HPV infection compared to those with one partner or no partners.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The aim of the program is to prevent cervical cancer in women and the best way to do this is to vaccinate girls and young women. Vaccination of boys was not recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization because once 80% coverage among girls has been achieved it is not necessary to vaccinate boys. 80% coverage was achieved in the first year of the HPV vaccination program."

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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