Name : Arif Satria Putra Pratama

NPM : 1318011022
Date of Period : 3rd of December 2014
Source : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261453.php

Can Oral Sex Cause Throat Cancer?

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer (oropharyngeal cancer) three years ago. He
initially said it was caused by years of heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and stress. However, he
recently told The Guardian newspaper that it was caused by oral sex (cunnilingus).

In an Interview with Guardian reporter, Xan Brooks, Douglas said that his type of cancer was
caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) "which actually comes from cunnilingus". His agent
later said Douglas had been talking generally, and not about his own cancer, but the Guardian
responded by publishing the sound recording of the interview that clearly showed he blamed oral
sex for his cancer, and not years of drinking, smoking and stress.

Douglas first revealed details of his throat cancer in the David Letterman Show, in September
2010.

So, what is the risk of developing throat cancer from oral sex?

Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD, MPH, from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and team
explained at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago,
Illinois, that throat cancers that arise from HPV do not appear to raise the risk for domestic
partners of the same cancer.
Dr. D'Souza explained that in their pilot study, they found that the prevalence of HPV among
partners/spouses of an affected patient was approximately 7%, no different from that of the
general population.

The team found that the HPV 16 subtype was present in just 2% of female partners and 0% of
male partners. HPV 16 is responsible for the majority of throat cancers. Of the partners/spouses
who underwent a visual oral exam, none had cancer or pre-cancer.

D'Souza explained that the risk of developing head and neck cancers for people whose partners
have HPV-related cancer is very low.

At a press briefing, D'Souza said "Many people become infected but are able to clear those
infections."

The researchers added that partners who have been together for a long time probably already
share whatever infections they have. No changes in physical intimacy are needed, they
emphasized. Put more simply "Couples will infect each other with whatever they have anyway -
oral sex will neither increase nor reduce infection risk".

Oral sex with 6 or more partners raises risk of throat cancer, said one study

In a study published in NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), Dr Maura Gillison of Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and team suggested
that people who have oral sex with at least 6 different partners have a significantly higher risk of
developing throat cancer.

The team recruited 100 patients who had recently been diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer, as
well as 200 "healthy" individuals (the control group).

They found that people who had at least 6 oral-sex partners during their lifetime were 3.4 times
more likely to have throat cancer. Those with 26 or more vaginal-sex partners had a 3.1 times
higher risk of developing throat cancer.
What are the risk factors for throat cancer?

Smoking - this is by far the most important risk factor for throat cancer. Regular, long-term,
heavy smokers are 20 times more likely to develop some type of throat cancer compared to non-
smokers.

Alcohol - heavy, chronic alcohol consumption, particularly spirits, also raises the risk of
developing throat cancer.

People who do both - drink and smoke a lot - have the highest risk.

Frequent heartburn - non-drinkers and non-smokers who have frequent heartburn have a higher
risk of developing cancers of the throat and vocal cord.
Sumary

Michael Douglas didiagnosa menderita kanker tenggorokan (kanker oropharyngeal) tiga tahun lalu. Dia
awalnya mengatakan hal itu disebabkan oleh merokok berat, penyalahgunaan alkohol dan stres. Namun,
ia baru-baru ini mengatakan kepada surat kabar The Guardian bahwa hal itu disebabkan oleh oral seks
(cunnilingus).

Douglas mengatakan bahwa tipenya kanker disebabkan oleh human papillomavirus (HPV) "yang
sebenarnya berasal dari cunnilingus (oral seks)".

Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD, MPH, dari Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, dan tim menjelaskan di
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) pertemuan tahunan di Chicago, Illinois, bahwa kanker
tenggorokan yang timbul dari HPV tidak muncul untuk meningkatkan risiko pasangan domestik terhadap
kanker yang sama.

D'Souza menjelaskan bahwa risiko kanker pada kepala dan leher untuk orang-orang yang pasangannya
memiliki kanker terkait HPV sangat rendah.

Dalam sebuah penelitian yang diterbitkan dalam NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), Dr Maura
Gillison dari Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health di Baltimore, Maryland, Amerika
Serikat, dan tim telah mengira bahwa orang yang memiliki seks oral dengan setidaknya 6 pasangan yang
berbeda memiliki signifikan risiko lebih tinggi terkena kanker tenggorokan.