Oral sex is causing an oral cancer epidemic in men by outwitting natural defenses

Sac Bee ^ | 3/8/2018 | Marie McCullough

[LiveFreeOrDie2001]

Five years ago, when actor Michael Douglas candidly revealed that his throat cancer was linked to having oral sex, two things happened.

He made headlines that mortified his family. And he helped publicize the fact that a pervasive, sexually transmitted virus called HPV was unleashing an epidemic of oral cancer among men.

Since then, scientists have made headway in figuring out why HPV, the human papillomavirus, has this glaring gender bias. Men are four times more likely than women to be diagnosed with oral cancer, a hard-to-detect, hard-to-treat disease that has overtaken cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related malignancy in the United States.

To be sure, changes in sexual norms over the last few generations have played a role in this alarming trend. But research increasingly shows the real problem is something men have practically no control over: their immune response.

[Bonemaker]

Not lately!🤓

[HollyB]

SMart thinking!

[Texan5]

Thanks for the wishes-we should be okay as long as we both continue to treat one another with respect-a second chance at being together after so long is a rare gift...

[fortheDeclaration]

Except we don't know all of the facts in this case.

You don't know the couples sexual history.

[Bellflower]

Is HPV a lipid coated virus does anyone know?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

You mean all those vacated sodomy laws actually did a body good???

[lastchance]

Me too.