Yes, oral sex can lead to throat cancer...

July 29, 2009 - Changing sexual practices have led to a dramatic rise in throat cancer in the United States over the past two decades, and experts say they fear an epidemic of the disease.

The comments were made Wednesday at a news conference held by the American Association for Cancer Research to discuss research into the role of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) in head and neck cancer.

Increasing rates of HPV infection, spread through oral sex, is largely driving the rapid rise in oropharyngeal cancers, which include tumors of the throat, tonsils, and base of the tongue, said Scott Lippman, MD, who chairs the thoracic department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Studies of oropharyngeal tumor tissue stored 20 years ago show that only around 20% are HPV positive, Lippman said. Today it is estimated that 60% of patients are infected with the virus.

“The percentage of oropharyngeal cancers that are HPV positive is much higher now than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “This is a real trend, and that is why there is concern of an epidemic given that fact that oropharyngeal cancer is increasing at an alarming rate.”

http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/hpv-genital-warts/news/20090729/oral-sex-cause-throat-cancer-rise

Mouth and throat cancer, called oropharynx cancer, used to be a disease seen most commonly in elderly persons. Tobacco smoking and alcohol use were known to be the leading causes of oropharyngeal cancer. Today, oral sex is listed as the leading cause of cancer of the mouth and throat.

New research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrates that human papillomavirus, HPV, is the leading cause of cancer of the oropharnyx in the U.S. The number of people diagnosed with HPV-related oral cancers in the U.S. tripled from 1998 to 2004.

http://news.yahoo.com/research-reveals-oral-sex-may-leading-cause-mouth-195800608.html