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You can catch the human papillomavirus through oral sex, which many people mistakenly consider safe. Scientists suspect that HPV infections may be responsible for the growing incidence of cancers in the jaw and nasopharynx.
Oral HPV – research
The latest study showed the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the oral cavity in nearly 7 percent. American teens and adults alike can help scientists understand why jaw and nasopharyngeal cancers have been rising steadily for 25 years.
The evidence clearly shows that oral sex plays a key role in transmission of the virus.
The latest report, published in late January in the online journal Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first attempt to estimate oral HPV prevalence among the US population. The report shows that the virus does not spread through kissing or casual contact, and that most infections are related to oral sex, which many Americans mistakenly view as safe.
“There is an obvious link to sexual behavior, and this is of great importance in sex education,” said Dr. Maura L. Gillison of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State University, who led the study and presented its results in late January in Phoenix at a meeting of researchers specializing in sexuality. head and neck tumors.
- Focal symptoms of a brain tumor
Oral sex and HPV infection
While oral sex does not rule out infection with herpes, HIV and many other diseases, the practice is often considered a safe alternative to intercourse. According to a survey published last year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oral sex was practiced by 90 percent. adults, 27 percent 15-year-old boys and 23 percent 15-year-old girls.
– I have the impression that people do not treat oral sex the way they treat traditional intercourse Said Fred Wyand, director of the HPV Research Center at the American Society of Public Health in North Carolina. Sometimes teenagers have oral sex because that way they don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. Some people don’t see the connection between oral sex and STDs at all.
- Serious sexually transmitted diseases
HPV virus and oral cavity cancer
Scientists have suspected for at least a decade that sexual behavior could lead to the development of jaw tumors when HPV is passed into the mouth. Preliminary studies have confirmed that oral cancer patients have had oral sex much more frequently than healthy controls. A 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the risk of developing throat cancer increases with the number of partners having oral sex.
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Most oral HPV infections are harmless, and jaw tumors are still a rare disease, but in light of the latest findings, doctors should encourage patients to use oral sex protection, writes Dr.Hans Schlecht of the School of Medicine Department at Drexel University in Philadelphia. in the article accompanying the study report. “People are embarrassed to talk about it, but it’s for their safety,” he added in an interview. – If you are going to have an intimate relationship with your partner, you should have a serious adult conversation.
It is well known that HPV causes cervical cancer, which, according to the National Cancer Institute, kills 4220 women in the United States every year. The virus can also lead to other cancers, such as the vulva, anus, penis, and various cancers of the head and neck.
The authors of a study published in October in the Journal of Clinical Oncology combined over 70 percent of new cases of oral cancers with HPV infection, which makes it high above nicotine on the list of carcinogens causing this type of cancer.
If the current trend continues, HPV will cause more oral cancer than cervical cancer by 2020, according to an October study.
The HPV virus is very widespread – it is estimated that at some point in life the infection exceeds 80%. Americans, says Gillison. Infection is usually asymptomatic, and the body fights the virus naturally over time. However, persistently recurring infections can cause cancer. Vaccines for children and young adults are now available to prevent cervical and rectal cancers caused by the most oncogenic strains of HPV.
Tracking the role of HPV in the development of oral cancer, Gillison and her team analyzed the data of 5579 people aged 14-69 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Research in 2009 and 2010. Respondents answered a detailed questionnaire and were thoroughly tested – including the first large-scale 30-second mouthwash that allowed researchers to collect cells for HPV testing.
Scientists have puzzled over 10 years to develop an oral virus test that is as accurate as one for cervical HPV.
The Gillison team found that 6,9 percent. of the participants are carriers of HPV in the oral cavity – this is much less than in the case of sexually transmitted HPV in women of reproductive age – it is estimated that up to 42% may be infected. women aged 20-29.
Incidence varies significantly among different groups. For example, 10,1 percent of HPV viruses in the oral cavity were carriers. men, but 3,6 percent. women. So far, scientists have not determined where this difference comes from, Gillison said it could be related to oral sex. Among people who had more than 20 sexual partners, the presence of HPV in the oral cavity was at the level of 20%.
It also found that less than 1% of people who have never had sex are carriers. of the respondents, and among people who have never had oral sex, it is 4 percent. Researchers also noted age differences: the highest percentage of carriers was observed among people over 60 – 11,4%. This is a significant contrast to HPV infections in the cervix, which is prevalent amongst twenty-year-olds.
HPV infection and age
It remains unclear why oral HPV carrier increases with age, Gillison notes. One theory is that the immune system weakens with age, putting the elderly at risk of developing latent infections. Another theory suggests that people in their 60s grew up in the era of sexual liberalism before the public health service began to publicize safe sex. “People who matured in the era of the sexual revolution may have had more partners than other age groups, such as those who grew up during the HIV epidemic,” says Gillison.
The study also showed that there is a link between heavy smoking and oral HPV infections. It is possible that smoking reduces the body’s immune response, making it easier for the virus to survive. In 1 percent of study participants were found to have the most common high-risk HPV strain, HPV-16. This type increases fifty-fold the risk of developing oral cancer and is responsible for the majority of cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of oral cancer – it is diagnosed in 2,6 people per 100.
- Squamous cell carcinoma – characteristics and types
Although only 16 percent of HPV-1 carriers are. of the population anyway, that means “hundreds of thousands of people” who will become infected with the virus and who will not fight it naturally, explains Schlecht. Whether the HPV vaccine can protect against oral cancer is still unknown. According to experts, it is necessary to wait a few more years for the answer to this question.
Meanwhile, the new data should give food for thought for parents considering vaccinating their children – especially boys, says Gillison. The HPV vaccine is recommended for women 9-26 years of age and men 9-21 years of age. – Some parents feel they are not at risk of getting HPV. This study found that 1 in 10 boys carry a virus that can lead to cancer, the researcher warns.
Text: Shari Roan
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