The Oral Sex and

Oral Cancer Connection

Written by Marilyn Morris, Founder and President of Aim For Success

 

About 20 years ago, a doctor thanked me for challenging young people to the concept of abstinence until marriage. He went on to say, "You've got the right message because I believe there's a good chance a time is coming when we'll see a connection between STDs and other major health issues."

Well, it appears the doctor's words were rather prophetic. Let me explain.

Medical science has now discovered a new way to acquire oral cancer. Doctors have known for years that the primary cause of oral cancer is excessive use of tobacco and alcohol. But now there's a newly identified culprit that's making headlines around the world. It's called the human papilloma virus, more commonly known as HPV.  HPV happens to be the most common STD in America. And HPV-16 is the virus that has been responsible for the majority of all cervical cancers in women. Now this same STD, HPV-16, is directly linked to oral cancer in both males and females.

Oral cancer includes cancer of the lips, mouth, tongue, tonsils and throat. About 36,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. That's about 100 people a day - with one person dying from oral cancer every hour.

Perhaps the more disturbing news is that oral cancer has increased for five years in a row. In 2007 the numbers jumped over 11% in a single year.

In the past, oral cancer was known as a disease of men in their 50s, 60s and 70s who had spent years smoking and drinking alcohol. But now, because of HPV-oral cancer, the new face of oral cancer is non-smoking men and women in their 40s and younger. I recently heard of a man who died of HPV-oral cancer at the age of 28. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, HPV-oral cancer is now the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population.

HPV is not spread through bodily fluids. It's transmitted from an infected person to an unsuspecting partner by direct skin-to-skin contact. The invisible virus then attaches to that particular location. Therefore, HPV doesn't travel through the bloodstream. So, unlike AIDS or Chlamydia, there's not a test of blood or bodily fluids that can determine if a person is infected with HPV.

When a person does become infected with HPV, there's a good chance the virus will simply disappear within two years without causing any problems. But occasionally, the virus doesn't go away, and with time it could result in cancer. This typically takes several years. In other words, a person doesn't have sex or oral sex one night and end up with cancer weeks or months later. It could be 10, 20 or more years before the cancer shows up. If oral cancer is found in its early stages, there's about an 80 to 90% survival rate. But the early stages often go unnoticed, because typically, there's little to no pain or obvious symptoms. As a result, the death rate for oral cancer is about 45% within five years.

What's causing the sudden surge in HPV-oral cancer? The CDC and the Oral Cancer Foundation both say this has to do with changes in sexual behavior over the past few decades including early sexual activity.

My take on the matter is that this goes back 50 years to the Sexual Revolution. No one denies there was a significant transformation in the sexual behavior across America beginning in the 1960s. The desire for sexual freedom opened the doors for multiple sexual partners, which in turn set in motion the wheels that banished the thought of saving sex for marriage and is now destroying the very concept of marriage. But it was that first beginning step of multiple sexual partners that unleashed a microscopic virus which, at the time, was extremely rare in America. That virus was HPV. Within a few decades, the rare virus had exponentially multiplied as it passed from partner to partner. Now HPV is America's leading STD and is playing havoc with women from ages 20 to 80 in the form of cervical cancer.

With the unprecedented popularity of oral sex among our teenagers starting back in the 1990s, this cancer causing virus was provided a new venue for transmission.  As a result, it appears we're about to see what this incurable virus has in store for our young people.

But here's some encouraging news, doctors and dentists all across America are becoming well informed about the dangers and prevalence of oral cancer. In most cases, they can see or actually feel changes that could allow a person to seek early treatment.

The other bit of encouraging news is that although treatment for oral cancer can be grueling, HPV-oral cancer consistently responds better to treatment than the type caused by alcohol and tobacco. Therefore, the prognosis for HPV-oral cancer is better than the type of cancer linked to alcohol and tobacco.

What are common symptoms?

Since early detection is critical, a person should contact their doctor or dentist if they recognize any of the following symptoms. Note: these symptoms could also be caused by other, less serious problems, but only a doctor or dentist can tell definitively.

• A sore or lesion in the mouth that does not heal within two weeks.
• A lump or thickening in the cheek.
• A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth.
• A sore throat or a feeling that something is caught in the throat.
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing.
• Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue.
• Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth.
• Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable.

In the Aim For Success programs, 7^th through 12^th graders have gotten a clear message for years that Oral Sex is not Safe. They have also learned that condoms do little to protect from HPV. Or, as The Oral Cancer Foundation has stated through a video on their website, "If you're sexually active, there's not much you can do to protect yourself from HPV." The problem is the HPV virus often spreads beyond the area covered by the condom.

Choosing sexual abstinence until marriage and remaining faithful inside marriage is the only way to enjoy Safe Sex. Two people faithfully committed to each other throughout life never worry about STDs...  Spread the word!

Information from this article was taken from The Centers for Disease Control and The Oral Cancer Foundation. For more information about Oral HPV Cancer go to http://oralcancerfoundation.org/