Physical Wellness

Oral Sex Increases Cancer Risk by 22 Times

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Jan 25, 2016 04:06 PM EST

Bad news for the couples! Oral sex can increase your risk of head and neck cancer significantly, said a new study. This disease has been conventionally thought to be the one that affects heavy drinkers and smokers in their lives later. However, over the years, the cases have increased and been linked to common human papillomavirus (HPV). It is believed that the main reason for HPV, usually linked to cervical cancer, ends up in the mouth due to oral sex. The virus group affects the moist membranes and skin which are lined the body, including throat, cervix, mouth and anus, as reported by Daily Mail.

As per the latest study published in journal JAMA Oncology, this is the first time a study has established a link between HPV-16 virus and the existence of oropharyngeal tumors that impact the soft palate of the mouth, tonsils and base of the tongue. Although HPV is not directly responsible for causing oropharyngeal cancer, it is still the 11th most popular cancer type in the world that influences the cells that infect and then become cancerous. According to the previous reports, men are twice as likely to contract this cancer than women meaning that oral sex for men is more dangerous than it is for women, reports Xpose.ie
The study was conducted in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where the scientists analyzed mouthwash samples that were provided by 97,000 cancer free participants. These people were then examined for 4 years and a total of 132 cases of head and neck cancer were identified within this duration. The mouthwash test was the part of HPV study. The researchers studied each patient in comparison with the one who contracted the cancer and three similar people who did not get it, as reported by TowleRoad

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