Study links oral sex and throat cancer

Researchers have linked oral sex to a type of throat cancer, saying that those who engaged in the sexual act with more than six partners over the course of their lifetime were nine times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer.

Here's the conclusion from their report in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine: Oral HPV infection is strongly associated with oropharyngeal cancer among subjects with or without the established risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use.

• Earlier: HPV infects more women and teens than first thought

"Many adolescents, and adults too, say they engage in oral sex as a less-risky type of sex," Mark Schuster of the Rand Corp. and UCLA, tells the Washington Post. He notes that herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections can be spread through oral sex. "What this article and others show is you absolutely can get serious sexually transmitted diseases through oral sex."

Oral sex, both fellatio and cunnilingus, is thought to be the primary mode of transmission, but the study doesn't rule out the possibility that the virus can be passed through mouth-to-mouth contact, according to a press release from Johns Hopkins University.

• Earlier: Circumcisions may sharply lower rate of sexually transmitted diseases

BBC News says additional studies are required to reach definitive conclusions about the findings. The researchers have posted a Q&A about HPV. USA TODAY reported today that another study says the cervical cancer vaccine is less effective in those who are sexually active.

The CDC says 20 million people are infected with HPV right now, and that 50% of sexually active people will be infected with the virus at some point.

bwaaaahahahaha.... article *gasp* topic.... funny *gasp* can't breath.... choking.

I was just reading an article about it at the Register. It seems like Merck is trying to get everyone up in arms scared about human papilloma virus so they can hawk their wares, namely Gardasil.
[Code note- see how much Gardasil costs, and how much it helps Merck's bottom line..
"How much will the vaccine cost, and will insurance pay for it?
The cost of the vaccine is not known at this time. However, a Merck company cost-effectiveness analysis assumed a cost of $300 to $500. Individual or group insurance plans are subject to state laws. These laws generally establish coverage based on recommendations from the ACIP. Medicaid coverage is in accordance with the ACIP standard, and immunizations are a mandatory service under Medicaid for eligible individuals under age 21. Medicaid also includes the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC). This program provides immunization services for children 18 and under who are Medicaid eligible, uninsured, underinsured, and receiving immunizations through a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic, or are Native American or Alaska Native."] Also, Gardasil does not protect against all allegedly carcinogenic forms of HPV.


I believe last time I read the NIH page about HPV, it said around 92 percent of HPV outbreaks resolve spontaneously, and that, in the case of cervical cancer, the progression from infection with one of the many strains (there are over a 100 types of HPV) of HPV virus to cervical cancer is, to use the NIH's own term, "rare".

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV
Under section 4...last sentence...
"These high-risk types of HPV cause growths that are usually flat and nearly invisible, as compared with the warts caused by types HPV–6 and HPV–11. It is important to note, however, that the majority of high-risk HPV infections go away on their own and do not cause cancer (2). "

I think the HPV answers are clear with regard to cervical cancer from the material at the National Institutes of Health...see the following :
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/HPV-vaccine
"What are human papillomaviruses?
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a group of more than 100 viruses. They are called papillomaviruses because certain types may cause warts, or papillomas, which are benign (noncancerous) tumors. The HPVs that cause the common warts that grow on hands and feet are different from those that cause growths in the throat or genital area. Some types of HPV are associated with certain types of cancer. These are called “high-risk” oncogenic or carcinogenic HPVs.

Of the more than 100 types of HPV, over 30 types can be passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Although HPVs are usually transmitted sexually, doctors cannot say for certain when infection occurred. About 6 million new genital HPV infections occur each year in the United States. Most HPV infections occur without any symptoms and go away without any treatment over the course of a few years. However, HPV infection sometimes persists for many years, with or without causing detectable cell abnormalities. "

2.Do HPV infections cause cancer?
Infection with certain types of HPV is the major cause of cervical cancer. Almost all women will have HPV infections at some point, but very few will develop cervical cancer. The immune system of most women will usually suppress or eliminate HPV. Only HPV infections that are persistent (do not go away over many years) can lead to cervical cancer. In 2006, an estimated 10,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 will die from it.

[Code note- notice it says, without Gardisil..."The immune system of most women will usually suppress or eliminate HPV."]

Look, studies suggests about 28-29 percent of women are infected with one or more strains of HPV. Rarely does an HPV infection lead to cancer of the cervix. If it were NOT a rare event, we would have staggering numbers of women (based on the sampling indicating almost 1 out of 3 is infected) dying of cervical cancer.

From 3900-4000 women die from cervical cancer per year (stats vary according to reporting site). Contast this with breast cancer, in 2005, the estimate was about ten times that, 40,000 would die of breast cancer.

A little more people than that, men AND women, die in car wrecks per year, around 43000 Americans are killed in automobile wrecks every year .

But, all of this PALES relative to the number of people who die in hospitals per year. From a report from ABC
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=assignment_7&id=4178495
Are Hospitals More Deadly Than Car Wrecks? A Closer Looks At Hospital Infections
"By Carolyn Johnson
May 16 - KGO - When you go to the hospital, you probably don't consider the possibility of becoming more ill after you get there. But hospital infections are a growing problem. An estimated 250 people die from them every day.

People suffering from illnesses or disabilities severe enough to send them to the hospital often don't think about the risk of becoming even more ill while there. But hospital acquired infections are a growing problem with serious consequences. It's estimated 250 people die every day from infections they picked up in the hospital. "

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY FROM NOSOCOMIALLY ACQUIRED INFECIONS (I.E. PICKED UP FROM BEING IN THE HOSPITAL).

250/day equals 91,250 people just from hospital infections! This is staggering!

While we are talking about it, there is an excellent work called DEATH BY MEDICINE, co-authored by three MDs and a PhD that is a MUST READ for anyone with an open mind who is interested in health care issues.

http://www.webdc.com/pdfs/deathbymedicine.pdf

In this very well referenced work (26 pages) it makes the following statement :
"This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million per year. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections is 20 million per year. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million per year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million per year.
The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year."

Almost 800,000 people die every year as a result of conventional medicine (i.e. so-called "iatrogenic deaths").

So, these figures really put some perspective on the HPV scare that Merck, et al, is trying to foster in hopes of increasing their profit margin.

Here in Texas, "Governor" Perry, tried to mandate via executive order, that all young girls be made to take the KoolAid..er, "Gardasil". The same day he signed it, he received a 5000 dollar check from Merck. So did other legislators. Perry says the check and his signing of the order, were just coincidence. It took the Attorney General of Texas to tell Perry he couldn't make it a law that all school aged girls had to take the KoolAid...er, Gardasil.
http://www.belogical.com/
"by Gina Parker Ford
March 14, 2007
What’s that sound? That’s Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and the Texas House of Representatives letting all of the hot air out of Governor Perry’s unprecedented HPV mandate!

Following quickly on the heels of General Abbott’s “informal opinion” on Governor Perry’s Executive Order mandating girls entering the sixth grade to get the newly approved HPV vaccine, the House overwhelming passed legislation that would overturn it.

After Governor Perry opted to ignore both our elected representatives and parents’ rights to decide what is best for their children, Senator Jane Nelson (R-Lewisville) and Representative Jim Keffer (R-Eastland) requested that the Attorney General give them an informal opinion as to the validity of the Executive Order. According to Senator Nelson, in the meeting with General Abbott she learned the order did not carry the weight of law, or as she put it, “I guess it’s a friendly suggestion.”

Thankfully, Senator Nelson and other conservative lawmakers were not so friendly and successfully passed legislation on Tuesday that attempts to override Perry’s executive order. In fact, House Bill 1098 is quite explicit in stating, “Immunization against human papillomavirus is not required for a person's admission to any elementary or secondary school. This subsection preempts any contrary executive order issued by the governor.”

But as the bill’s author, Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton), pointed out during the floor debate, "What this bill simply does is say that we will not mandate the HPV vaccine. It does not take away the opportunity for families to decide if this is the right thing to do for their child."

This is precisely what Governor Perry should have taken into consideration before issuing the order, but he instead took the mantra “I know better than you” to new heights by completely ignoring parental rights, the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and the legislature that was already planning to debate the issue. His authoritarian balloon has been popped! "

Oh BTW, you ain't necessarily gonna get throat cancer from giving your girlfriend a tongue lashing...so take a chill pill America.

And, they say that the uncircumsized are more likely to pass along HPV than the circumsized....so, Protocols of the Elders of Zion be damned, the Jews are on the right side on this one.

did ya hear about the cowboy who died from drinking milk?

yeah, cow fell on him.

Worry about the things that deserve worrying...not this Bullshit.

I dunno, I've known 4 women who have contracted cervical cancer. 1 of them died 1 of them is severely screwed up and the other 2 didn't really enjoy it. my opinion is that if you can prevent it you do. i'm not gonna panic over this issue because well, I'm not a woman and the likelihood of me getting cervical cancer is really low. on the other hand i don't like merc's scare tactics but the fact is the drug is still a break thru and I see it as a good thing.

now about that cow.....

which begs the question

what the hell does this have to do with myspace?

Myspace users "Suck" and what do they suck? well read the article

The study doesn't rule out the possibility that sexually transmitted viruses can be passed through mouth-to-mouth contact, according to a press release from Johns Hopkins University.

That statement might go unnoticed, but it's worthy of consideration.

I know the W.H.O. had ruled out transmission of the HIV virus through French kissing years ago, but recently I read that W.H.O.'s standard of evidence has been flawed on many fronts, so the verdict may still out on that one after all.

For decades we have been advised that HIV can be spread through bodily fluids, and saliva qualifies in that category, doesn't it -- so where is it demonstrated that deep kissing can't transmit the HIV virus?
(Perhaps an astute person reading this can link to some contrary-wise substantiation. I do know that the HIV virus can survive a relatively long time just sitting on a petri dish, so it's got some robustness to it.)


"The times are a'changing."

And the times are perilous.

But why is it bad news for Myspace users?

"but the fact is the drug is still a break thru and I see it as a good thing."

Except that EVERY DRUG... that's right EVERY DRUG has side effects. It only depends on whether or not these side effects are more dangerous than the disease this is suppose to help. How many drugs recently have been pulled from the shelves because not all the side effects were known (or properly disclosed, for that matter).

This sounds more like drug company propaganda than anything else to me. If you can do without prescription drugs, I suggest you do. You never know what side effect might be discovered or uncovered 20 years from now.

Sex and Violence causes news (sax and violins causes music)...and, when you have any article focusing on either cunnilingus (or as the Saturday Nite Live skit had it..."Colonel Angus", as in "Everybody loves Colonel Angus") or fellatio (I think they should have a SNL skit in which Hamlet for the hard of hearing is done, and someone says "There are more things in heaven and earth, Fellatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy" ) it attracts attention.

BTW....it is cool that there is now a spell check program in the posting box...right?

INeedAlover — good point

And naturally there's a "vaccine" for this cancer already, much like the one for cervic cancer, but the top doctors will recommend that it only be administered when someone is a child, yet no parent will want to have it administered for fear that their child will become sexually active.

That's why they've had to start the ad campaign to get parents to vaccinate their daughters.

Aren't Merck the company that pushed Vioxx through a suspect FDA and onto the market? the same drug that took years to be withdrawn after bad tests? Plus the fact the FDA just got even better powers to do this...

Think about it though, if people actually listen to this crap then it will put them off doing such things, thereby REDUCING any danger, true or otherwise, then reducing any need for the drugs... Sort of reverse psychology, talk about the dangers in the hope people WON'T take notice but doctors prescribing drugs WILL... Another nail in the healthcare coffin, hail the wonderful system!

Alwex, are you implying only MySpace users like a bit of oral sex? I think you need to get some fresh air (as in, stop rug munching BEFORE replying here!)