Can oral sex cause throat cancer?

Question

(somebody had to ask this)

Micheal Douglas, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010, said in a recent interview with the Guardian:

Asked whether he now regretted his years of smoking and drinking, usually thought to be the cause of the disease, Douglas replied: “No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus.”

So the question arises: does it?

To be slightly more specific, to nail several possible variants on his claim with a single question and to put the results in context let me ask the question this way: Does oral sex (cunnilingus or fellatio) contribute to the risk of oral cancer? Is the risk significant in the context of other causes of this class of cancers?

I am more interested in his later claim that it also cures it :p — Chad, Jun 05 '13 at 13:11
@chad I wish... Seriously, though, I suspect that claim warrants a separate question. Go ahead and ask it. — matt_black, Jun 05 '13 at 20:45
@matt_black - I think that the claim "And if you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it." was made in jest. — Chad, Jun 06 '13 at 13:04

score 24 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 17 '20 at 09:41

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_and_neck_cancer#Human_papillomavirus, retrieved 2013-06-04 (Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License) says,

Recent evidence is accumulating pointing to a viral origin for some head and neck cancers. (ref)

Human papillomavirus (HPV), in particular HPV16, is a causal factor for some head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).(ref) Approximately 15 to 25% of HNSCC contain genomic DNA from HPV,(ref) and the association varies based on the site of the tumor, especially HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, with highest distribution in the tonsils, where HPV DNA is found in (45 to 67%) of the cases,(ref) less often in the hypopharynx (13%–25%), and least often in the oral cavity (12%–18%) and larynx (3%–7%).(ref)

Some experts estimate that while up to 50% of cancers of the tonsil may be infected with HPV, only 50% of these are likely to be caused by HPV (as opposed to the usual tobacco and alcohol causes). The role of HPV in the remaining 25-30% is not yet clear.(ref) Oral sex is not risk free and can result in HPV-related cancer.(ref)

A good answer, but still lacks the context around the risks of cancers and different varieties of HPV. A little discussion of that context would make it a great answer. — matt_black, Jun 08 '13 at 13:55

Can oral sex cause throat cancer?

1 Answers1

Linked