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Study finds a throat cancer, HPV link
Oral sex blamed; it's unclear what vaccine would do

May 13, 2007 - BY MICHELLE FAY CORTEZ - BLOOMBERG NEWS

The virus that causes cervical cancer may be linked to throat cancer in people who engage in oral sex, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A study in 300 adults found that those infected with the human papillomavirus who had oral sex with more than six partners were three times as likely to get throat cancer. The research was included in a package of studies and commentary on the virus in Thursday's issue of the journal.

The throat cancer study didn't explore whether Gardasil, the Merck & Co. vaccine against HPV that U.S. regulators approved in June, would protect against oral infections.

The findings may spur new debate over use of the drug -- already the center of controversy over whether schoolgirls should be inoculated. Oral HPV infection occurs in both men and women who engaged in this type of sex.

"Our results and those of other studies provide a rationale for HPV vaccination in both boys and girls," said the researchers, led by Gypsyamber D'Souza, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

The number of cancers found on the tonsils and the base of the tongue is on the rise, and "the widespread oral sexual practices among adolescents may be a contributing factor in this increase," the researchers said.

If Gardasil also prevents oral infections, there could be a substantial reduction in throat cancers, they said.

One study alone can't prove that HPV triggered the throat cancers, the investigators said. Although additional research is needed to confirm the results, the findings are consistent with previous work, the scientists said.

The study compared 100 patients with newly diagnosed cancer of the back of the mouth, including the soft palate, the base of the tongue and the tonsils, with 200 people without the disease, examining any difference in HPV infections.

More than 26 vaginal sexual partners also increased the risk of cancer in people with HPV infections. Smoking and drinking were the main risks for cancer in uninfected patients.

"Our data suggest that oral HPV infection is sexually acquired," the researchers said. "Oral-genital contact was strongly associated with oropharyngeal cancer, but we cannot rule out transmission through direct mouth-to-mouth contact or other means."

Every year, about 650,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with head and neck cancers, and 350,000 die from the diseases.

In the United States each year, almost 7,500 people die from oral cancer and 35,000 are told they have it, according to the American Cancer Society, based in Atlanta.