Health4 min(s) read
Expert explains why HPV-related throat cancer is rising among men due to oral sex
An expert has explained why men appear to be disproportionately affected by HPV-related oral cancers, as cases linked to the virus continue to be diagnosed across the UK.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US. There are more than 200 strains of the virus, and about 14 are known to cause cancer. While many infections clear naturally, health officials say nearly all sexually active people will contract at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives.
According to the CDC, about 10 per cent of men and 3.6 per cent of women are known to carry the virus. In many cases, the infection disappears within one to two years. However, experts warn it can take decades before HPV develops into cancer in the back of the throat, also known as oropharyngeal cancer.
Actor Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010. The Hollywood star later said publicly that the stage four disease was possibly linked to oral sex, although he also acknowledged other risk factors, including smoking and drinking.
Why men are more likely to develop HPV cancers
Around two in three new HPV-related head and neck cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in men.
Karis Betts, a cancer epidemiologist from Cancer Research UK, said HPV infections may remain unnoticed for years before developing into cancer.
She told LADbible that “it can take decades” for HPV to show up.
Betts also explained that certain groups appear to face higher risks. She said: “There are studies that look at risk for different people. Straight women who have sex with men have a higher risk than women who have sex exclusively with women. And men who have sex with men have higher risk than straight men.
“The HPV vaccine is also available up to age 40 for men who have sex with men because the risk is slightly higher.
“Men have higher rates of head and neck cancers than women. This kind of historically links to other risk factors as well.
“If you look a few decades ago, there were really high rates of smoking in men, high rates of alcohol, and they’ve consistently been higher than women.
“Men have higher rates of head and neck cancers, particularly in the mouth and throat, and these cancers are also caused by other things that are more prevalent in men.”
She added that “smoking and alcohol are going to be much bigger drivers of head and neck cancers than HPV”.
Nearly one in 96 UK females and one in 43 UK males will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer during their lifetime.
How to reduce the risk
HPV spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex, touching, and sharing sex toys. Condoms can lower the risk of transmission, although experts note “they’re not 100 percent effective”.
Betts said prevention efforts should focus on vaccination and screening.
“The big kind of preventable measures against HPV in the population are vaccination and cervical screening,” she said.
“Vaccines kind of work best, and that's why they work best at that school age, because it's before people have had any exposure to the virus.
“If people are worried about their cancer risk, the best things that they can do, especially for head and neck cancer, is to not smoke, or stop smoking, and reduce their alcohol intake.
“Things like that will have a much bigger benefit on your cancer risk than kind of worrying about an HPV infection.”
She stressed that avoiding sex is not the recommended solution, explaining that “the advice isn’t going to be stop having sex”, before adding: "People should live and enjoy their lives, and sex is part of that."
Symptoms of throat cancer to watch for
Health experts say throat cancer can present a range of symptoms. According to the Cleveland Clinic, warning signs may include:
Persistent sore throat
Pain or difficulty swallowing
Trouble opening your mouth or moving your tongue fully
Unexplained weight loss
Constant or unexplained ear pain
A lump in the back of the throat or inside the mouth
A lump or swelling in the neck
Coughing up blood
A white patch on the tongue or inside the mouth that doesn’t disappear
Head and neck cancer accounts for around three percent of all new cancer cases in the UK.