Multiple Oral Sex Partners: An Unspoken Risk for Throat Cancer
But the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine might help.
Over the last twenty years, there’s been an alarming surge in a particular type of throat cancer in the Western world — oropharyngeal cancer. Some even referred to this rise as an epidemic.
Oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the tonsils and the back of the throat, is primarily attributed to the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is also a known cause of cervical cancer. The prevalence of oropharyngeal cancer has also overtaken cervical cancer in countries like the US and the UK.
The transmission of HPV predominantly occurs through sexual encounters. The likelihood of developing oropharyngeal cancer notably increases with the number of sexual partners a person has had in their lifetime, particularly those with whom they have engaged in oral sex.
A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that those who’ve had six or more oral-sex partners were 8.6 times more prone to contracting oropharyngeal cancer compared to those who abstain from this act. In contrast, those who’ve had 26 or more vaginal-sex partners were only at 4.2 times increased odds of oropharyngeal cancer.
