Buck Naked
Nov 20, 2005, 10:15 AM
Study Links Oral Sex, Cancer
Some mouth cancers are caused by a virus contracted during oral sex, according to a new Swedish study.
Done at the University of Malmo, the study shows that individuals orally infected with human papilloma virus, HPV, are at a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that is known to cause a variety of health problems, including cervical cancer. It is most often passed by genital-genital contact.
But the Swedish research shows that when the virus is contracted orally, presumably by means of oral-genital contact, it increases the risk of mouth cancer.
"You should avoid having oral sex," said Dr. Kerstin Rosenquist, who headed the study comparing 132 patients with mouth cancer with a control group of 320 healthy people.
Dr. Rosenquist and her colleagues found that 36 percent of the cancer patients were carriers of HPV while only one percent of the control group had the virus.
Mouth cancer is most commonly contracted by middle aged and older men, and is primarily related to smoking and drinking alcohol, said Dr. Rosenquist.
"But in recent years the illness has been on the rise among young individuals and we don't know why." she said.
"But one could speculate that this virus is one of the factors."
Some mouth cancers are caused by a virus contracted during oral sex, according to a new Swedish study.
Done at the University of Malmo, the study shows that individuals orally infected with human papilloma virus, HPV, are at a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that is known to cause a variety of health problems, including cervical cancer. It is most often passed by genital-genital contact.
But the Swedish research shows that when the virus is contracted orally, presumably by means of oral-genital contact, it increases the risk of mouth cancer.
"You should avoid having oral sex," said Dr. Kerstin Rosenquist, who headed the study comparing 132 patients with mouth cancer with a control group of 320 healthy people.
Dr. Rosenquist and her colleagues found that 36 percent of the cancer patients were carriers of HPV while only one percent of the control group had the virus.
Mouth cancer is most commonly contracted by middle aged and older men, and is primarily related to smoking and drinking alcohol, said Dr. Rosenquist.
"But in recent years the illness has been on the rise among young individuals and we don't know why." she said.
"But one could speculate that this virus is one of the factors."