People who have had 10 or more oral sex partners were found to be 4.3 times more likely to develop human papillomavirus-related mouth and throat cancer, according to new research.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University also found that oral sex at a younger age – and with more partners – also increases the risk of cancer caused by HPV.
“Our research is helping patients and physicians answer the question, ‘Why did I develop HPV-related … cancer,’ said study co-author Dr. Virginia Drake to UPI.
“The risk of infection is not only related to the number of oral sex partners during life, as the timing of oral sex and partner type also play a role,” said Drake, head and neck surgeon at Johns Hopkins.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 7 percent of all adults between the ages of 18 and 69 in the U.S. have HPV.
About 45,000 people – 55 percent of them women – are diagnosed with HPV-related cancers each year, the CDC estimates.
The Baltimore Hospital team surveyed 163 adults with HPV-related mouth and throat cancer – and 345 without these diseases – about their sexual behavior.
Having oral sex as an adolescent or teen increased the risk of cancer by 80 percent, the researchers said. Starting younger and having more partners increased the risk by 180 percent, she added.
Meanwhile, people who had older sexual partners when they were young and those with partners who had extramarital sex were up to 70 percent more likely to have the disease, according to data cited by UPI.
“People with HPV-associated … cancer have a wide spectrum of sexual histories,” said Drake.
“As with all STDs, having new partners carries some risk of infection, but most people who become infected clear the infection without developing cancer,” she added.
In a statement, she said, “As the incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer continues to rise in the United States, our study provides a contemporary evaluation of risk factors for this disease.
“We have discovered additional nuances about how and why some people may develop this cancer, which may help identify those at greater risk,” added Drake.