Studiews shows link between HPV virus and Oral Cancer

[webfact]

Too Much Oral Sex Gives You Cancer Report Finds

A report published recently in the British Medical Journal confirmed that too much oral sex could lead to head and neck cancer. This adds to other cancers like throat cancer that was also linked to oral sex some years ago.

March 29, 2010, [PDN]: recent scientific research indicates that those who overindulge in oral sex run a high risk of contracting head and neck cancers and these are on the increase. To contain such risks, it is being advised by medical experts that the young in general and, girls in particular, should be offered protection in the form of vaccines, ideally before they become sexually active.

The virus that may lead to cancers of the head and neck, specifically oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, is called papillomavirus (HPV), and the vaccines considered effective against it are Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, and Gardasil, made by Merck & Co. HPV is also considered to be the active virus in cervical cancer. Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer, with approximately 640,000 new cases being diagnosed annually around the world.

story continues: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/03...r-report-finds/

Source: pattayadailynews.com

-- 2010-03-29

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[lopburi3]

Actually protection for girls has been normal for some time now and even here in Thailand they (at least many) get in school at about 12 years old. The new information from what I have read today involves suggestions that males should also receive (it was considered too expensive to do so) unless I have mistaken something (which could well be). HPV is a group of 40 or more virus so not sure if all are contained with vaccine. HPV is also what most of our warts are caused by.

[counrikke]

even if it was true.. shhh

[FBN]

And its not even April yet!

Try as I may, I can not find the original article; not on the BMJ site nor in the PDN linked article. Webfact please??

Definitely a previously unheard of association and I would dearly like to read the original article.

Perhaps something lost in translation here? "Cervical" meaning "neck" as well as an anatomical region of the uterus. The association between HPV and this kind of cervical cancer having been clearly established.

[Sheryl]

A link between HPV and cancer of the mouth and throat has been suspected for some time. Finally established in a 2007 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This same study also found that people who reported a large number of oral sex partners had a higher incidence of oral cancer and hypothesized that the main route of transmission for oral infection with HPV was via oral sex. However "the study cannot rule out transmission through direct mouth-to-mouth contact or other means, such as via skin contact". That's main route, not only route, of HPV transmission, they also found indications of transmission among family members through saliva and from mother to child during delivery. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/556285

In 2009, a study in the Journal of Infectious Disease confirmed the link between number iof oral sex partners and oral HPV and further showed that french (open-mouthed) kissing was also implicated, i.e. "oral HPV infections that could predispose to cancer may be transmitted by very common behaviors such as open-mouth or 'French' kissing". http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/702692

The HPV/cancer link is one of increased risk, not absolute causation. Not everyone with oral HPV gets cancer -- in fact majority do not -- and not everyone with cancer has HPV. But oral HPV infection does increase the risk. Other risk factors are smoking and alcohol.

Since there is a vaccine against the type of HPV that causes cervical cancer these findings naturally raised speculation that the vaccine might also reduce the incidence of oral cancer, and studies to ascertain this are underway. Not completed AFAIK. I'm not sure what promoted the Pattaya Daily News to report on this now. Slow news day?

[Jingthing]

This vaccine is only for children, correct? My understanding is that it is useless for adults who have alread been sexually active. Can our medical expert speak on this topic?

[Puccini]

...I can not find the original article; not on the BMJ site...

Possibly this article in BMJ:

Oropharyngeal carcinoma related to human papillomavirus

www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/mar25_1/c1439?

[johndpoole]

This is an idiotic story ... THOSE W/HERPES and gentital warts ARE AT A HIGHER RISK OF CANCER be it genital or oral herpes. Why they twist this into an oral sex thing is idiotic and instead educate honestly.

[edwinchester]

Seems I only get a decent BJ on birthdays and New Year so wifey definitely doesn't get to read this!

[elcent]

oh, a british report, nothing serious then.

[basjke]

Taking a quick glance at the reply's the mods seem to be well informed regarding oral sex.

[skippybangkok]

Seems I only get a decent BJ on birthdays and New Year so wifey definitely doesn't get to read this!

So you have bi weekly birthday"s"

[Chaimai]

I hesitate to ask but, are the risks reduced if you don't swallow ?

[Stjohnm]

Don't give her another excuse for a headache

[johndpoole]

Signs and Symptoms

What are the signs, symptoms and potential health consequences of HPV?

Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years. But there is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.

Sometimes, certain types of HPV can cause genital warts in males and females. Rarely, these types can also cause warts in the throat -- a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or RRP.

Other HPV types can cause normal cells in the body to turn abnormal, and might lead to cancer over time. These HPV types can cause cervical cancer and other, less common cancers, including cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat).

Human papillomavirus (pap-ah-LO-mah-VYE-rus) (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. At least 50% of sexually active people will have genital HPV at some time in their lives.

http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/

Edited March 29, 2010 by johndpoole

[Nignoy]

Signs and Symptoms

What are the signs, symptoms and potential health consequences of HPV?

Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years. But there is no way to know which people who get HPV will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.

Sometimes, certain types of HPV can cause genital warts in males and females. Rarely, these types can also cause warts in the throat -- a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or RRP.

Other HPV types can cause normal cells in the body to turn abnormal, and might lead to cancer over time. These HPV types can cause cervical cancer and other, less common cancers, including cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat).

Human papillomavirus (pap-ah-LO-mah-VYE-rus) (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. At least 50% of sexually active people will have genital HPV at some time in their lives.

http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/

One of the main signs or symptoms is sneezing and blowing your teeth all over the bedrooms or for the over 40,s keeping your willy in a jar beside the bed

[shawndoc]

Very misleading headline. HPV gives you cancer. Its long been linked to cervical cancer, and is now linked to cancers in the head and neck.

Oral sex itself does not contribute to the cancer. It is being exposed to HPV that does it, and oral sex just happens to be one way people (particularly women) get exposed to it.

So, oral sex is fine. Just don't perform oral sex on someone how has HPV. And if you aren't sure, use a flavored condom or get vaccinated.

[apetley]

Seems I only get a decent BJ on birthdays and New Year so wifey definitely doesn't get to read this!

Birthday AND New Year?

Your being spoilt!!!

[Somtamnication]

Listerine works wonders afterwards. Enjoy!

[onlooker]

Neck cancer? <deleted>? It'll be cancer of the gag reflex next.

[Lancelot]

I'm more worried about being run over by a drunk songtaew driver

[Dakhar]

I hesitate to ask but, are the risks reduced if you don't swallow ?

I think it doesn't matter

Nah, the high Ph within semen helps to destroy the virus.... thats my story, and I am sticking with it.

[Sheryl]

Responses to a few of the comments/questions:

1. JT: the vaccione is useless if somebody already has HPV. It is not useless if someone has been sexually active but not yet contacted HPV. However as testing for presence of HPV is expensive and time consuming, public health recommendations are to vaccinate before becoming sexually active. Public health recommendations focus on measures to be taken at a population level and it is important to understand that this is different from what may make sense for a specific individual, or what a specific individual may be willing or able to pay for. An already sexually active individual could if they like be tested to see if they have already been exposed to HPV and, if not, get the vaccine; or for that matter just get the vaccine knowing it will be beneficial if they have not already contacted HPV and useless if they have. There is no added risk to the vaccine if given to a person whi already had HPV, just ineffecetive.

The focus on girls just prior to onset of puberty is based on the established value of the vaccine in reducing the risk of cervical cancer.

IF studies now in progress establish that the vaccine also reduces the risk of cancer of the mouth and throat and IF analysis shows that the risks associated with vaccination (and all vaccines do carry some amount risk -- usually small but when given to millions of people, enough that there will be some people who end up the worse for it) are outweighed by the potential benefit of such protection, we can expect a change in public health recommendations from girls at/just before puberty to younger children of both sexes. But these are all still IFs. Most experts expect the first IF (that the vaccine also reduced HPV-associated cancer of the mouth & throat) to pan out but the second is less clear. It will require a weighing of the risk of getting forms of cancer which are less common than cervical cancer against the known side effects of the vaccine, the costs of vaccinating all children against the number of cancer cases likely to be prevented etc etc. Most unvaccinated people will not get an HPV-related cancer of the mouth and throat, but a small percentage will. Most people getting the HPV vaccine will not suffer an adverse effect, but a small percentage will. So it then becomes a question of whether the first few outweighs the second few. In the case of cervical cancer (a common cancer) it does, but it is not clear this will hold true with cancers of the mouth and throat which are relatively rare occurrences.

2. Swallowing unlikely to have any effect. The main sites of entry of the virus appear to be in the mouth including around the base of the tongue. Note that not only oral sex but also "french kissing" is a means of transmission a are some non-sexual practices.

3. Agree title of thread (and of the newspaper article, which is where thread title comes from) is misleading and have edited accordingly.

4. To put matters a bit in perspective:

oropharyngeal cancers are comparatively rare compared to other cancers

only 60% of oropharyngfeal cancers appear related to HPV

only some of the many strains of HPV increase the risk of cancer

Nothing in the research to date suggests a need to modify sexual practices on grounds of risk of oropharyngeal cancer. Genital HPV transmission risks occur in the same manner as HIV and other STDs and would be addressed by the same guidelines as for HIV prevention: consistent condom use in other than monogamous rfelationships. HPV risk (but not of course HIV and other STD rishks) can also be addressed through vaccination .

[FBN]

...I can not find the original article; not on the BMJ site...

Possibly this article in BMJ:

Oropharyngeal carcinoma related to human papillomavirus

www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/mar25_1/c1439?

Thanks for this.

BMJ is certainly reputable as well as the Medscape articles (links provided by Sheryl above).

I stand educated!

Good news is that the cancers caused by or related to HPV seem to have a much better prognosis than those caused by the "conventional" risk factors such as smoking, tobacco chewing, alcohol etc.

Still no data for other populations outside of those studied; it would be interesting to see data from SEA and Africa.

[PMNL]

This vaccine is only for children, correct? My understanding is that it is useless for adults who have alread been sexually active. Can our medical expert speak on this topic?

Not only children but the vaccine can be innoculated safely and effectively in women from 9-45 years old.

For those who had contacted HPV( already in sexually active period), the vaccine is still benefit in order to prevent another type of HPV infection.

According to the study(Future II study group) which carried out in the HPV infected patients (between 1-3 types) show that gardasil has 100% pevention rate over the other type of HVP infection.

In Australia, Ecaudor,Phillipines : The vaccine is recommended in female 9-45 years.

In men, the vaccine is effective in prevention of HPV type 6,11,16,18 ( Gardasil) infection over 85%,prevention of external genital warts, penile/perianal/perineal intraepithelial neoplasia(PPPIN) over 90%.

In Australia, NZ,Korea : The vaccine is recommended for boys 9-15 years to prevent HPV 6,11,16,18 infection.

[Jingthing]

That's interesting. I had assumed most all adults had been exposed to HPV. Aren't cold sores on the lips caused by HPV? It sounds like it isn't such a bad idea to get the vaccine for different age groups, women, and certainly gay men. How much does the vaccine cost in Thailand?

[PMNL]

You are right about most adults had been exposed to HPV, but only certain type. They are still at risk of the others HPV.

However only 16,18 strain play critical roles in cancerous lesion while type 6 and 11 cause 90% of case of genital warts.

If one infected by HPV 6,he/she are still at risk of HPV 11,18,16,52 and so on...infection. The exposure rate however is lower with age.

You need to think about risk and benefit before getting one.

The price in thailand for gardasil is ~7000-12000/course.

[Sheryl]

JT, youi are confusing HPV with herpes, cold sores are caused by a strain of herpes simplex, not by HPV.

As yet no vaccine for herpes.

[hhgz]

Another thing to consider...HPV is related to other cancers. Farah Fawcett died of anal cancer, with might have been caused by her preference for unprotected anal intercourse.

[hhgz]

"I had assumed most all adults had been exposed to HPV..."

Most sexually-active adults are CMV+.