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MyHealthNewsDaily
About 7 percent of adults and teens in the United States are orally infected with the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a new study says. This represents about 14.9 million people.
More men are affected than women: About 10 percent of men ages 14 to 69 have an oral HPV infection, compared with 3.6 percent of women, the study showed.
Oral HPV infections cause some oropharyngeal cancers, or cancers of the tongue, the tonsils or back of the mouth. People who are infected with the strain HPV 16 are 14 times more likely to develop these cancers compared with those not infected with the virus.
The new findings were "reassuring," according to study researcher Dr. Maura Gillison, chair of cancer research at The Ohio State University , because they show that while oral infection with the virus is common, cancer cases as a result of these infections are rare. In other words, most infected people don't get cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 40,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in 2012.
The findings also show oral HPV infections are, for the most part, sexually transmitted. People who reported engaging in oral sex were twice as likely to have an oral HPV infection as those who did not engage in oral sex. People who had had sex of any kind, including vaginal sex or oral sex, were eight times more likely to have an oral HPV infection than those who had not had sex. Among those who'd had 20 or more sexual partners, one in five had an oral HPV infection.
"Taken together, these data indicate that transmission by casual, nonsexual contact is likely to be unusual," the researchers wrote in their study.
However, there are clues HPV may also spread by kissing. Oral HPV infections were more common among sexually experienced people who had not engaged in oral sex than among sexually inexperienced individuals, a finding that is "consistent with transmission by other sexually associated contact (eg, deep kissing)," the researchers wrote in their study.
"This study of oral HPV infection is the critical first step toward developing potential oropharyngeal cancer prevention strategies," Gillison said. "This is clearly important, because HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is poised to overtake cervical cancer as the leading type of HPV-caused cancers in the U.S."
More studies are needed to know whether the HPV vaccine effectively prevents oral HPV infections, the researchers said. Currently, the vaccine is recommended to prevent cervical cancer, anal cancer and genital warts.
How common is oral HPV?
Between 1998 and 2004, incidence of new cases of oropharyngeal cancer in the United States more than tripled (from 0.8 cancers per 100,000 people to 2.6 cancers per 100,000 people).
Despite the rise, little was known about the prevalence of oral HPV infection, and the characteristics of those who have it.
In the new study, Gillison and colleagues analyzed data from more than 5,500 men and women in the United States. Participants answered questions about their sexual behavior and substance use. They were also asked to gargle mouthwash for 30 seconds, and cells that were exfoliated into the rinse were analyzed for evidence of HPV infection.
The researchers found HPV in the cells of 6.9 percent of the participants, and HPV 16 in 1 percent.
The infection was most common among those ages 60 to 64 years, (at 11.4 percent), and those ages 30 to 34 (at 7.3 percent).
Physicians should encourage their patients who engage in oral sex to use barrier protection, Dr. Hans P. Schlecht, of the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.
Smokers and alcohol users also had a high prevalence of HPV. About 20 percent of those who said they smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day had oral HPV infection.
More research
It's not clear why oral HPV infection was more common among men than women. It could be that HPV is more likely to be transmitted through oral sex on women versus men, the researchers said. Differences in hormone levels between the sexes could also affect the duration of an infection.
Smoking may suppress the immune system, leading to longer infections with the virus, the researchers said.
The researchers noted their findings are based on study participant's reports of their sexual behavior and smoking, which may not be completely accurate.
Researchers need to follow people over time to better understand the effects of age, gender, sexual behavior and smoking on the incidence and duration of oral HPV infections, the researchers said.
The study will be presented this week at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium in Phoenix. The study and editorial are published online today (Jan. 26) in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Pass it on: Oral HPV infections affect about 7 percent of adults in teen in the United States, and are more common in men than women.
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i suppose, in the long run, the advantage of being disgusting to women is the lowered possibility of STD transmission. score one for me!
"Oral HPV infections affect about 7 percent of adults in teen in the United States, and are more common in men than women"
"It's not clear why oral HPV infection was more common among men than women. It could be that HPV is more likely to be transmitted through oral sex"
Whatever happened to proper usage of tools?....using your mouth for purposes other than eatin and mouthing around could kill ya....
Bet your single LOL
Get vaccinated anyway dude. Who knows? You might suddenly have a winning streak. Don't count yourself out of the game yet.
This study does not mention male homosexuals and their average of 500 lifetime partners. Otherwise, the study does indicate that women are more efficient transmitters of HPV to men.
Don't forget that HIV was first found in the US in the gay community.
DocHolliday...I second that! And I'm a lesbian!
Preventive measures please. Anything infected or related to diseases in the oral area will spread very fast.
Think this way why some of the medicines can be put inside the mouth under the tongue and the pills will be absorbed and melted and be effective in less than a minute. It is because there are a lot of mechanisms to help the direct absorption to the blood and the lymphatic system to which it means anything inside one's mouth will spread faster than other areas.
...crickets.....
...bats.... for your crickets of course
Now that we discover men have oral HPV more than women and there's a vaccine that can stop it, all the vaccine controversy will suddenly go away when men realize it's their lives at stake now.
Ha. Just look at what happened to "The Pill" vs. Viagra in Japan.
I'm tempted to get vaccinated... but at this point I've had way, way more than 20 sex partners. Even with protected intercourse, the odds I don't have at least one strain of HPV is virtually nil.
Chris, If your over 20 partners, they probably wont even offer the vaccine to you if you tell them your stats. Most of the time the doctors target young teenagers to be vaccinated. They figure at that early age most of them have either not had sex yet, or have not had very many partners. They want to try to vaccinate before people get the virus.. Its like asking for the flu shot once you find out you have the flu.
Interesting....
Prevention is clear: Keep any sexual activity within the confines of a monogamous relationship and it doesn't matter how you "do it", you're safe. (And I'm not talking about serial monogamy here...)
MEN NEED TO GET VACCINATED. They've been carriers of HPV for decades and have been giving it to women. Men can have HPV and have no symptoms but still transmit it. Women need to get regular pap smears, which were invented to test for the effects of HPV. Women who die from cervical cancer (the cancer caused by HPV), usually have not had a pap in years. If found early enough, irregular cells can be removed and cancer can be prevented.
Emily you didn't read it clearly it said men who performed oral sex on a woman was likely to become infected
You can be as monogamous as you like, but if your man was with a woman who had HPV and became infected BEFORE becoming committed to you, since he is a carrier, he can still pass it on to you. The chances of finding a male who is a virgin (including oral since some people seem to think oral sex still makes you a virgin), are pretty slim.
Now, another reason to get your willy circumcised. NOT... We are all carriers of the HPV. Both men and women. Keep your immune system high by eating right, sleeping right, and exercising right and all cancers will be held at bay. We all face cancers every day and our immune system fight them off. Oh yeah, choose your sex partners wisely.
Nice thought but I don't think so. My wife and I had oral sex last night and we realized we weren't virgins this morning when we woke up. It didn't make us virgins anyway.
Oh not this "abstinence only" BS again.
Get tested, stay protected, and get vaccinated as soon as vaccines become available.
Some people would tell you that you can plan to have just one sex partner your entire life... the divorce rate and the number of people who get caught fooling around says otherwise.
Don't be a statistic.
No matter how dedicated to monogamy you are (and this might just be in your head right up to the moment you find yourself taking your pants off in strange company), you can't guarantee your spouses sexual history or future... @!$%#, you really can't even guarantee your own even if your spouse outlives you, never gets a divorce and gets adventurous.
It just doesn't happen that way. Nobody says, " I do... until I get bored or you get fat". Get real.
Great plan. One partner for everyone. That always works. I am a general otolaryngologist and I have 3 younger men, 40's t0 50's who are non smokers (0ne does drink moderately) who have HPV associated head and neck cancers in the last month. It is out there and I would recommend everyone get vaccinated who has ANY risk factors or who isn't in a long term married relationship.
Emily wrote "MEN NEED TO GET VACCINATED. They've been carriers of HPV for decades and have been giving it to women. ?"
Men shed HPV in the form of warts more effectively than women. Ever heard of a pap smear? Women more often do not have externally-visible signs of genital warts or HPV. This is precisely why the HPV program targets women.
Is it me or are articles written not to seem unbiased; so kissing is factor, not really, maybe its sex, not really, maybe its from taking other medicine, not really, maybe its from poor hygiene, not really. Really, please, can someone write an intelligent article. personally, I have experienced HPV and its not pleasant at all. Good thing the shoe's on the other foot for a change. People just go to the doctor. HPV is a STD!
Any of you overpaid editors care to explain exactly WTF you mean by "7 percent of adults in teen"??? Are you attempting to provide a community service as a journalistic source of information, or did you just get through school like Forrest Gump did?
It is my understanding that there is no HPV test for men. How are they gathering this information if there is no test for it.
This was testing oral HPV, which can be done on both sexes. There is no approved genital HPV test for men.
They can't test for HPV in men, but if a man gets cancer, they can tell if it's caused by HPV...they find HPV cells in the lymphatic system.
There seem to be nearly fewer tests for men because the bulk of health insurance spending goes to women despite the bulk of health insurance premiums are paid by men. Does any man know how to check for testicular cancer? Women will laugh and mock men to lop off male genitalia.
How about a cancer awareness month instead of a breast cancer awareness month?
this is obviously Obama's fault
Yeah, did you see him kissing all those women at the SOTU address? Why did he not kiss any of the men? Weird.
Maybe all those men should file a sexual discrimination suit?
LOL
This is another reason why men should be vaccinated for HPV. They are carriers, even if they show no symptoms, they can have the disease and pass it on and cannot be tested for it. Maybe men will realize they can get oral cancer from it, as well, and will start getting vaccinated.
Emily,
men won't be getting vaccinated simply because this vaccine is only licensed for adolecents BEFORE they become sexually active
right on! except they are afraid of shots! and in my case (experienced with one man) they won't take responsibility!
Emily wrote "This is another reason why men should be vaccinated for HPV. They are carriers, even if they show no symptoms, they can have the disease and pass it on and cannot be tested for it."
The same applies to women. While condoms protect women, they offer much less protection for men. Women are vats of STDs with their vaginal secretions and monthly blood discharge.
Okay, we just need to stop having sex to prevent cancer, right?
Like that's ever gonna happen.
With that approach, we could wipe out cancer, AIDS, pneumonia, diverticulitis, whooping cough, polio and hangnails in a single generation. I say we do it!
so, I suppose we are supposed to just "spank the monkey"/"buff the musket"? This story confuses more than it enlightens, it seems.
Brilliant!!!
The end of recreational sex as we know it. Now these doctors want you to "wrap the pelvis in Saran Wrap" or cut a rubber into a rectangle. www.pamf.org/teen/sex/std/oral/ Thanks, but I'm good.
Could the incidence be higher in men because gay men may have the highest incidence of all and therefore skewer the results?
Ummm, I dont know very many gay men who proform oral sex on women. Do you?
Gay men perform oral sex on other gay men and if they have HPV on their penis then it can be transmitted into their mouth.
Bryce, you're right on. This article is another entry in the Man-bashing genre without targeting the actual culprits - male homosexuals.
Not all gay men only have sex with other men. Many gay men are hiding their sexual preferences and can be married to a female and have sex with them and or other females. So it is possible for a gay man to pass HPV on to females.
"Physicians should encourage their patients who engage in oral sex to use barrier protection"
------------
Physicians, in any widespread way, encouraging patients to use oral dams/condoms during oral sex sounds about as likely to happen as the moon turning into green cheese. Physicians barely actively address the habit-changing issues surroundingweight-loss and smoking cessation with their patients in serious, ongoing ways, so this would be barking into the wind.
HOWEVER...as other posters have suggested, with a much greater chance of having a positive effect, physicians can offer to give their male and female patients the vaccination that prevents infection with certain HPV viruses known to cause oral, cervical and (in rare cases) penile cancers.
Everybody should just stop having sex, at least with other people. It's overrated anyway.
Overrated you say? Sorry but I beg to differ!!!
Good thing I stocked up on hand lotion!
LOL
Thats messed up more men prefer to do "jobs" than women.
Had HPV inside my nose, DR said it was from smoking. A year after I quit smoking all the poylups fell out. Guess he was right.
This CANCER is PREVENTABLE! There are 40 varieties of the HPV virus. Many of the HPV viruses are often "gone" by the average healthy person, but not all varieties. The best news is that the vaccine for HPV 16 and four other common varieties are available today! And guess who should be getting the vaccine? Males between the ages of 14 and 24. So why all the emphasis on girls getting the vaccine?
Much like past beliefs, we sexualize social stigmas to the female population as if it is their responsibility. But reality check: Girls usually do not give other girls HPV, boys do.
If I ask every parent if there was a Magical Vaccine that would prevent their boy from getting CANCER, would they get the vaccine for their child. It would be an emphatic, YES! It's about CANCER people, it's not about sex. While true it is transmitted via sexual activity, ultimately it is about CANCER.
So parents, listen up! If you have the power to prevent your child male or female, but most importantly males, from getting a painful, debilitating, disfiguring form of CANCER, would you get the vaccine for your child? CANCER, CANCER, CANCER...not sex, just get that (Michelle Bachman statement) out of your head.
By the way, the number of male cases with oral, tongue and throat CANCER will exceed cervical CANCER by the year 2020! Preventable by a simple vaccination series. Get it done, save your child's life. As a parent you will do anything to protect your child from hurt, pain or harm. Wouldn't you consider this something preventable and have peace of mind?
Oh, and just wait until we start talking about Anal Cancer...also preventable. Lovely, Farah Fawcett who died of anal cancer, missed the opportunity to bring this to the national discussion stage. Again, the HPV vaccine would help here. But Americans, too stubbornly Puritanical, can't even bring themselves to discuss the rear end of a human body...something GOD created, as they say. Another preventable CANCER! Now Google it and look at the pictures...hopefully, you'll change your mind and schedule an appointment with your family doctor. Just remember the word, CANCER.
Actually it is about sex and cancer. Especially the risk associated with unprotected sex. Apparently, we reached a state in our culture where it is daring to suggest that people be more mindful of the consequences of having sex with numerous partners.
When confronted with evidence that fast food is detrimental to our health, we are preached to high heaven to limit our intake. Not so when it comes to the wide spread of disease and sexual promiscuity.
Garry wrote "Girls usually do not give other girls HPV, boys do."
Girls (and women, too !) give boys (and men, too!) HPV. Condoms protect women from male fluids, but do little to protect men from female fluids, be they lubricative or menstrual.
Most anal cancers are diagnosed in people who are between 50 and 80. Before age 50, anal cancer is more common in men, but after age 50 it is slightly more common in women, Saslow says.
Anal infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major risk factor for the cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, 85% of anal cancers are associated with persistent infection with the sexually transmitted virus.
I'm 71 now. At what age is it. That I can just die of death, and not be a stat on some disease. In regards of cancer, you might watch the movie on Netflix(Bradkowski). After watching it, I don't think the drug companies want a cure for cancer. He's a doctor that found a cure for brain tumors, without chemo. The drug companies tried on destroying him through the courts. These drug companies make billions on the chemo medicine. It shows him in front of congress with many of his patients 100% cured.
I didn't know HPV could be associated with pork intake, too:
"It's not clear why oral HPV infection was more common among men than women."
Um, not everyboby swallows.
WOW..Pharma sure knows how to get you so scared you just run out and get 3 shots, costing $500+. WOW..MSNBC loves doing stories for Pharma(cha-ching$$)
Do sheep count? baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah