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Many people believe that the leading cause of oral cancer is tobacco use. Although this may have been true thirty years ago, it’s not the case today. Now, 64% of oropharynx cancers in the United States are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that can be spread during the act of oral sex. Isn’t HPV what causes genital warts and cervical cancer? Yes, but that’s not all! Many people don’t know, but there are over 100 strains of HPV, all of which affect the body in different ways. Of particular concern is HPV16 which has been shown to cause more than half of all oral cancer cases in America.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, approximately 37,000 people are diagnosed each year with oral cancer in the United States. Of these people, 25 percent will die because of the disease. However, of all diagnosed cases, 57 percent of oral cancer patients will be alive five years later. The reason for so many deaths is not because it is so virulent but because it is not detected. In America, approximately 100 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer every day, and one person will die every hour. What may be even more shocking is that there has been a 225 percent increase in oral cancer cases in the United States between 1974 and 2007. Quite often, dentists are among the first to notice the signs and symptoms of oral cancer. The symptoms can be visually observed by a 3 to 5 minute visual and tactile exam.
The risk for oral cancer increases with the number of different oral sex partners that a person has, this is due to the fact that it increases the chance that one of their partners is a carrier HPV. If people are looking for ways to protect themselves a few things that they can do is, 1) see a dentist regularly and ask for the BrushTest by your dentist which checks for abnormal cells, 2) discontinue the use of alcohol and tobacco, and 3) always use a condom or dental dam when performing oral sex. Scientists have shown that it is probable that the vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix, used for protection against genital HPV, may be useful in the protection of oral cancer.
Sources:
http://oralcancerfoundation.org/
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=6034244&page=1
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer/articles/2008/02/05/oral-sex-a-factor-in-oral-cancer-increase
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