The News
Oral sex may raise throat-cancer risk
A study suggests that the sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer can be a danger in the type of sex some think is safer.
By Rob Stein The Washington Post
Article Last Updated: 05/09/2007 10:12:51 PM MDT
Washington - The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer also sharply increases the risk of certain types of throat cancer among people infected through oral sex, according to a study being published today. The study, involving 300 subjects with and without throat cancer, found that those infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) were 32 times more likely to develop one form of oral cancer than those free of the virus. Although previous research had indicated HPV caused oral cancer, the new study is the first to definitively establish the link, researchers said.

The Research
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.