Is Oral Sex the Leading Cause of Mouth and Throat Cancer?

The leading cause of mouth and throat cancer is not tobacco smoking or alcohol use. Oral sex is now listed as the leading cause of cancer of the mouth and throat (oropharynx cancer).

A new research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and authored by Dr. Maura Gillison states that persons who had at least six partners on whom they’ve practiced unprotected oral sex are eight times more likely than those who have not had oral sex to develop human papilloma virus (HPV).

HPV, the most commonly transmitted sexual disease, is the leading cause of cancer of the oropharnyx in the US. The number of people diagnosed with HPV-related oral cancers in the U.S. tripled from 1998 to 2004.

Dr. Gregory Masters, an oncologist at the Helen Graham Cancer Center, is reminding everyone though that there is no clarity yet to this research.

The message here is very clear: protection