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Men twice as likely as women to get cancers linked to oral sex

Middle aged white men are at particularly high risk compared to other races.

MEN ARE TWICE as likely as women to get cancer of the mouth and throat linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, researchers say.

For men, the risk of HPV-driven cancers of the head and neck rise along with the number of oral sex partners, researchers said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in the US capital.

Nearly two out of three of these oral cancers in the United States and most western nations are caused by infection with the HPV 16 strain of the virus, and incidence of cancer is on the rise in recent years, said Gypsyamber D’Souza, who teaches epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Middle aged white men are at particularly high risk compared to other races.

She said her research shows that youths are engaging in oral sex at increasingly young ages, compared to past generations.

Our research shows that for men, the number of oral sex partners – as that number increases, the risk of an oral HPV infection increases.

But with women, the number of sexual partners does not appear to raise the risk.

Comparing men and women with the same number of sexual partners, a man is much more likely to become infected with oral HPV than a woman.

Furthermore, women who have a greater number of vaginal sex partners appear to face a lower risk of oral HPV infection, she said.

The reason may be that when women are first exposed to HPV vaginally, they mount an immune response that prevents them from getting an oral HPV infection, she said.

But men do not seem to have equally robust immune responses.

Men are not only more likely to be infected with oral HPV infection than women, but our research shows that once you become infected, men are less likely to clear this infection than women, further contributing for the cancer risk.

HPV infection is quite common, and most people clear the virus within a year or two, she said.

In some cases, however, HPV does not go away and can lead to cellular changes in the mouth and throat, which eventually become cancerous.

Oral sex may raise the risk of head and neck cancer by 22 percent, according to a study published January in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

This type of cancer has risen 225% in the last two decades.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges HPV vaccination for all pre-teen boys and girls so they can be protected against the infection before they become sexually active.

© – AFP 2016

Read: Women can see when other women are at their most fertile by just looking at their face>

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    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:36 PM

    So can the HPV vaccine be extended to boys or do they not matter?

    131
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    Mute Terry McClatchey
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:52 PM

    This research relates to what has happened in the past to people who are now middle-aged. Young men in the future will be protected if they have sex with young women who are now being vaccinated. If however young men are gay or bi-sexual, there is a separate case to be made for male vaccination.

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    Mute Johnneary
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    Feb 15th 2016, 11:28 PM

    Cue the big-pharma trolls.
    Proclaiming ultimate health through chemicals.

    Anyway.
    Why have 2 pairs of well shaved women’s legs in an article about men?

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Feb 16th 2016, 6:33 AM

    Not too sets of female legs, That `s me on the right……..
    Immac is your only man,
    And ladies please! .Wash your Hoo Haws more often.

    43
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    Mute Mike Brennan
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    Feb 16th 2016, 6:49 AM

    English is not your first language I take it.

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Feb 16th 2016, 7:00 AM

    Who took a dump in your coco pops this morning Mike?
    One spacing wrong in a sentence and your having a hissy fit ?
    Hop back into bed for 5 mins and get out on the happy side, before you turn the milk sour.

    42
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    Mute Mike Brennan
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    Feb 16th 2016, 7:48 AM

    If all that you see wrong with your first ‘contribution’ is a line spacing then you really should consider a few more English lessons. That’s just aside from the absolute pointlessness and coarseness of your posts. You’ve made one point clear enough though; running into you in the morning would I’m sure be akin to as you say; taking a dump in one’s coco pops.

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Feb 16th 2016, 8:31 AM

    Oh, Sorry Mike a Typo too, and it is light hearted , not coarse – take a look at some of the other comments for a theme of light heartedness.
    Only way i`d like to run into you in the morning, would be when i`m behind a steering wheel, go get yourself a personality and/or a humour transplant.

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    Mute Arthur Spooner
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:50 PM

    No muff too tough!

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    Mute Mark Jones
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    Feb 15th 2016, 11:48 PM

    If it smells like chicken keep a licken, if it smells like trout get d fcuk out

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Feb 16th 2016, 1:00 AM

    Due to the change in the ph levels…

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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:54 PM

    Men just keep on giving.

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    Mute Lenny Hanlon
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    Feb 16th 2016, 8:43 PM

    We dive at five

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    Mute Fiona Griffin
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    Feb 15th 2016, 11:02 PM

    Australia are the only country in the world who double vaccinate. It makes most sense to do this. You can pay to vaccinate young boys but it hasn’t been approved under the free scheme yet. Working in the head & neck cancer area we have seen a tenfold rise in hpv caused H & N cancers over the past 10 years. I certainly would advise any parent to vaccinate there young son pre any sexual activity!

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    Mute John
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    Feb 15th 2016, 11:13 PM

    Do you need a licker license in Australia?

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    Mute Rosie Murray
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:45 PM

    Flies spread diseases… So keep yours zipped up….

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    Mute John
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:51 PM

    No more lick outs for the ladies… that’s me done…

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    Mute Awkward Seal
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:38 PM

    Uh oh!

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    Mute Shanners
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    Feb 16th 2016, 4:22 AM

    So what are the actual stats? How many people per million get cancer linked to oral sex? Because it could be 1 per million so a 225% increase is insignificant. But if it was 1000 people then it would be significant…

    Classic statistics

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Feb 16th 2016, 12:43 AM

    That sucks

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Feb 16th 2016, 12:43 AM

    Unzip your mickey !

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Feb 15th 2016, 10:59 PM

    Don’t forget the pin worms lads.

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    Mute Johnny Donohoe
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    Feb 16th 2016, 3:27 PM

    Im off to buy lube

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Feb 16th 2016, 12:44 AM

    If the man is strictly straight u mean…. Homophobic headline

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Feb 16th 2016, 8:37 PM

    Isn’t there a vaccine for this?

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