Here's how oral sex can give you cancer

WARNING! ORAL SEX CAN CAUSE CANCER: Oral sex is damn awesome, we all know. It has umpteen benefits; from satisfying your partner, to increasing intimacy or helping climax, oral sex feels fantastic. But there’s a downside to it, or rather many downsides. It causes various sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV can cause cancer!

HPV CAN CAUSE CANCER: There are various strains of HPV that can cause an infection, easily over 40. Some of these are cancer-causing. If you are infected with a particular strain of the virus, it can increase your chances of contracting a throat cancer by 55 times!

NUMBER OF THROAT CANCER PATIENTS GROWING: A study by Chemical Research in Toxicology established that close to 21 per cent patients with oropharyngeal cancer before 1990 had the presence of HPV. The number of patients shot up three times, with 65 per cent patients with HPV-related throat cancer after 2000.

WHAT IS THROAT CANCER? Throat cancer, or oropharyngeal cancer, is different from oral cancer, as it affects your throat region, including your tonsils, base or the back of throat. This is unlike oral cancer which affects your lips, gums, cheeks or the walls of your mouth.

CAUSES OF THROAT CANCER: Throat cancer is caused by various risk factors such as smoking, tobacco and HPV. However, certain strains of HPV only cause oral cancer, some strains cause both and some strains only cause throat cancer. Recent data by National Cancer Institute showed that close to 70 per cent of throat cancer cases are related to HPV! The strain which is most commonly associated with throat cancer is HPV 16.

HPV IS A VERY COMMON STD: Experts say that if you are sexually active, chances are that you will contract HPV at least once in your life. However, this does not translate directly to cancer. As mentioned above, not all strains of HPV are cancer-causing. Of the 40 strains that can cause an infection, some strains are particularly bad, known as ‘high risk’.

BUT HAVING CANCER-CAUSING HPV IS SHEER BAD LUCK: If you are unlucky enough to make out with someone who has a cancer-causing HPV, it means you chose someone from 1 per cent of the total 7 per cent affected with HPV carrying Americans (says a study on Americans by CDC).

SPREAD: HPV-related throat cancer can spread not only through oral sex but also by kissing with an open mouth. If you are carrying a strain of HPV, you can transmit it to your partner if you go down on him or her.

TELL-TALE SIGNS OF THROAT CANCER: Throat cancer related to HPV only shows symptoms when it has developed to advanced stages. The most prominent symptom will be the development of a lump in the throat which is soar and may not heal. Men can see or feel it when they are shaving. If you are a beard-person, you may not notice it at all.

Other symptoms include pain while swallowing, change in voice, pain in the ear or the neck, hoarseness or mouth ulcers or swollen lymph nodes.

PREVENTION: The best way to dodge HPV related throat cancer is through vaccination, but you need to meet certain criteria for that. The good news is that the cancer is 99 per cent preventable with a vaccine as only 1 per cent of cancers due to certain strains of HPV may or may not be part of the vaccination.

However, if you do not meet the vaccination criteria, you can still prevent it by limiting the number of sexual partners to up to six. When the number goes beyond six, the risk multiplies manifolds. Also, never skip on the condom even for oral sex as it can also dodge the infection to a great extent. (All images from Shutterstock)