Oral sex 'cancer risk' warning
Updated on 14 November 2007
Oral sex between young people could be passing on a cancer-causing virus, a charity has warned.
A recent study found the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is linked to cervical cancer, may also be transmitted during oral sex.
The study, in the online journal Cancer, suggested HPV may be linked to mouth cancers as well.
The British Dental Foundation warned youngsters should be aware of the potential risk of contracting HPV through oral sex.
Chief executive Dr Nigel Carter said: "There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that oral sex could be a possible risk factor for mouth cancer.
"The HPV virus is a known cause of cervical cancer and this research suggests that the infection could be passed on during oral sex too."
He said rises in sexual activity among youngsters and the link to HPV could help explain why more youngsters were getting oral cancers.
In the past 10 years the percentage of men under 45 with mouth cancer has risen by almost a third. But the foundation found a worrying level of ignorance about mouth cancer, with one in four never having heard of the disease.
The research found around half of non-smokers who develop mouth cancer had the HPV virus.
Dr Carter said the transmission of HPV from oral sex could account for the rise in the incidence of the disease. Mouth cancer symptoms include an ulcer that does not heal after three weeks or a red or white patch in the mouth.
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