Testing It Up

A study published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that an estimated 7 percent of American teens and adults carry the human papillomavirus (HPV) in their mouths.

The study may lead health experts towards understanding the increasing trend of incidence of mouth and throat cancer for nearly 25 years. The evidence also shows that oral sex practices play a major role in transmitting the virus.

Dr. Maura L. Gillison of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, lead author of the study, shared: “There is a strong association for sexual behavior, and that has important implications for public health officials who teach sexual education.”

Oral sex is generally deemed as a safer alternative to sexual intercourse, despite the fact that herpes, HIV, and other diseases may also be transmitted when engaging in it. According to a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year, 90 percent of adults, 27 percent of 15-year-old boys, and 23 percent of 15-year-old girls have had oral sex.

Fred Wyand, director of the American Social Health Association HPV Resource Center, shared: “I don’t think people think of oral sex in the same way they do with traditional intercourse… Sometimes younger people engage in oral sex so they don’t have to worry about pregnancy. They may not even make the link between oral sex and STDs.”

This behavior, researchers suspect, may have led to the transmission of HPV through the mouth over the last decade, resulting in oral cancers.

Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with a tumor in his throat, according to a feature posted on Monday on People.com. This was revealed to People by a spokesperson on behalf of the actor.

Douglas will be undergoing eight weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, and Douglas, as well as his doctors, seems optimistic about his chances of making a full recovery. There were few details released regarding the actor’s condition, including the exact location of his tumor, according to a feature on USA Today. Michael Douglas’ publicist, Allen Burry, did not comment on USA Today’s request for more details regarding the diagnosis, or about Douglas’ history of smoking.

USA Today, however, shared more information about throat cancer in general. Douglas’ tumor may most likely be affecting the larynx or the oropharynx, the feature speculated, based on information from Robert Haddad, of the head and neck cancer program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Haddad, who has no direct knowledge regarding Michael Douglas’ medical condition, also suggested that judging from the rigorous treatment regimen that Douglas is slated to undergo, the tumor may be “advanced” cancer.

The prescribed treatment, depending on the location as well as other details of the tumor, can cure 50 percent to 80 percent of patients.

Cancer of the larynx is usually attributed to smoking and heavy drinking. A feature on the Daily Mail from 2006 once reported that Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, had a half-pack a day cigarette habit that they were both trying to kick at that time.

Gardasil, a vaccine intended to combat the human papilloma virus or HPV which was released in 2006, has been facing closer scrutiny of late. The four strains of HPV the vaccine protects against are linked to the development of cervical cancers and genital warts, all very serious concerns for young women but certain risks and side effects associated with the vaccine have put consumers on guard. Dizziness, headaches, fever and fainting have all been associated with the vaccine since it’s release but is it really as risky as consumers believe?

The reality is that no, there aren’t serious enough reasons to avoid getting the vaccine. In fact not getting it can be far riskier than any of the relatively mild side effects that have been reported by those who have taken it.  HPV has been on the rise in the last few decades, raising the rates of cervical and throat cancers in the young along with them. Young women who avoid receiving the vaccine are at a very high risk of being one of these women who develops these serious forms of cancer, a major cause of death in younger people.

A rise in HPV which can cause throat cancer if contracted during oral sex may be responsible for rising rates of the cancer. The dramatic rise in the virus over the course of the last two decades led the American Association for Cancer Research to call a meeting to discuss new research into HPV and its link to throat cancer. While tumors tested twenty years ago had HPV levels of about 20% current samples have a much higher rate 60% which is the reason for concern. It’s believed that because of the changing beliefs on sexual practice and interaction HPV may have become a more serious problem, potentially causing higher risk for developing head and neck cancer, including esophageal cancer. While it was once a problem primarily found in older people who drank and smoked now these cancers are being found in younger people. Part of the rise of oral sex is believed to be linked to a belief that it is safe sex, the reality is that oral sex should require protection as much as penetration  as it leaves those who practice it open to just as many diseases including AIDS as intercourse.

Waiting a few minutes before drinking your hot tea may be more than simply avoiding a burnt tongue; it may even be a way to prevent throat cancer. A new study carried out in Northern Iran, where large amounts of hot tea are consumed on a daily basis, established a link between drinking very hot tea and an increased risk for cancer of the esophagus.

Hot is defined as having a temperature of 158°F (70°C), usually the temperature of freshly boiled tea. The study was published on the website of the British Medical Journal. The findings are not really meant to cause alarm, though; the general advice is to wait a little bit and allow foods and beverages to cool down before swallowing.

The esophagus is the muscular tube that carries anything that is taken in through the mouth – such as food and beverages – into the stomach. Cancers of the esophagus claims the lives of more than half a million people annually. The most common type of throat cancer is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The main cause of throat cancer in Europe and America is the use of tobacco and alcohol, but consuming hot beverages has also been thought to be a risk factor. Throat cancer is more common in men than in women.

The study was conducted in the Golestan province in Northern Iran, where there is a high incidence of OSCC but low rates of smoking and alcohol – the two most common risk factors. Women also possess the same risk factor as men. This led to the hypothesis that the consumption of hot beverages may be a third risk factor.

The results of the study showed that those who drank warm of lukewarm tea (149°F or less) and hot tea (between 149°F to just under 158°F) can be associated with a two-fold risk of esophageal cancer, while those who drink very hot tea can be associated with an eight-fold risk.

Don’t let this dampen your hot beverage drinking regimen, though. It is simply suggested that we wait about four minutes to allow food and beverage to cool down before swallowing.