Post by Neko Bazu on May 10, 2007 7:45:09 GMT -1
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3485158.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6639461.stm
Right - so it's smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, bonfires, too much alcohol, too little alcohol, red meat, white meat, fish, too much sun, too little sun, too much of certain veg, too little of others, certain additives, certain nuts, certain organic compounds, certain artificial compounds, certain sex aids, certain forms of sex protection, certain gases, certain vapours, certain forms of radiation, certain metals, too much chocolate, too little chocolate and now oral sex that can increase the risk of cancer. And that's not forgetting some people are genetically more prone to cancer.
Well, I'm glad we know what's safe for us
Some cases of mouth cancer could be caused by a virus contracted during oral sex, scientists have warned.
Writing in New Scientist magazine, US researchers said the human papilloma virus, which causes most cervical cancers, may also cause oral tumours.
Experts say heavy smoking or drinking causes most mouth cancers, but the HPV link could help explain why some young adults develop the rare disease.
But they stressed people did not need to alter their behaviour.
It is estimated that up to a fifth of women aged 18 to 22 in the UK carry a variety of HPV.
Scientists are working on a vaccine that would be effective against the most common strains in an attempt to cut the number of cases of cervical cancer.
They now hope a vaccine could have the added benefit of reducing oral cancers, which affect around one in 10,000 people.
In the Johns Hopkins study, also published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers compared 1,670 patients who had oral cancers to 1,732 healthy people from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and Sudan.
They took tissue biopsies to see if the HPV virus was present.
It was found in a small number of people with oral cancer.
It was more common amongst people who reported having more than one sexual partner or who practised oral sex, than in cancer patients who smoked or chewed tobacco.
Most of those who carried the virus had the HPV16 strain - which is also the most common strain in people with cervical cancer.
The virus was equally likely to be present in men and women.
Patients with mouth cancer were also three times as likely to have antibodies against HPV, which shows they had been exposed to the virus, than the healthy people studied.
The link was even stronger in people with tumours at the back of their mouths.
Dr Raphael Viscidi, who led the research, said: "This is a major study in terms of its size. I think this will convince people."
Dr Newell Johnson, of King's College London, added: "We have known for some time that there is a small but significant group of people with oral cancer whose disease cannot be blamed on smoking and drinking because they are too young.
"In this group there must be another factor, and HPV and oral sex seems to be one likely explanation.
"This study provides the strongest evidence yet that this is the case."
But Dr Anne Szarewski of Cancer Research UK told BBC News Online people should not panic about the findings.
"It is important to add to our knowledge about cancer causes, but I wouldn't want to give the impression this is a major issue.
"Oral cancer is rare, and tobacco and alcohol are by far the biggest causes."
"Work on a vaccine against cervical cancer could also have the pleasant benefit of eliminating some oral cancers too."
Writing in New Scientist magazine, US researchers said the human papilloma virus, which causes most cervical cancers, may also cause oral tumours.
Experts say heavy smoking or drinking causes most mouth cancers, but the HPV link could help explain why some young adults develop the rare disease.
But they stressed people did not need to alter their behaviour.
It is estimated that up to a fifth of women aged 18 to 22 in the UK carry a variety of HPV.
Scientists are working on a vaccine that would be effective against the most common strains in an attempt to cut the number of cases of cervical cancer.
They now hope a vaccine could have the added benefit of reducing oral cancers, which affect around one in 10,000 people.
In the Johns Hopkins study, also published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers compared 1,670 patients who had oral cancers to 1,732 healthy people from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and Sudan.
They took tissue biopsies to see if the HPV virus was present.
It was found in a small number of people with oral cancer.
It was more common amongst people who reported having more than one sexual partner or who practised oral sex, than in cancer patients who smoked or chewed tobacco.
Most of those who carried the virus had the HPV16 strain - which is also the most common strain in people with cervical cancer.
The virus was equally likely to be present in men and women.
Patients with mouth cancer were also three times as likely to have antibodies against HPV, which shows they had been exposed to the virus, than the healthy people studied.
The link was even stronger in people with tumours at the back of their mouths.
Dr Raphael Viscidi, who led the research, said: "This is a major study in terms of its size. I think this will convince people."
Dr Newell Johnson, of King's College London, added: "We have known for some time that there is a small but significant group of people with oral cancer whose disease cannot be blamed on smoking and drinking because they are too young.
"In this group there must be another factor, and HPV and oral sex seems to be one likely explanation.
"This study provides the strongest evidence yet that this is the case."
But Dr Anne Szarewski of Cancer Research UK told BBC News Online people should not panic about the findings.
"It is important to add to our knowledge about cancer causes, but I wouldn't want to give the impression this is a major issue.
"Oral cancer is rare, and tobacco and alcohol are by far the biggest causes."
"Work on a vaccine against cervical cancer could also have the pleasant benefit of eliminating some oral cancers too."
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6639461.stm
A virus contracted through oral sex is the cause of some throat cancers, say US scientists.
HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.
The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.
But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm the findings.
HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
The John Hopkins study took blood and saliva from 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer which affects the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue.
They also asked questions about sex practices and other risk factors for the disease, such as family history.
Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancer patients in the study.
There was no added risk for people infected with HPV who also smoked and drank alcohol, suggesting the virus itself is driving the risk of the cancer.
Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission of HPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouth transmission, for example through kissing, could not be ruled out.
Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms but a small percentage of people who acquired high-risk strains may develop a cancer, the researchers added.
Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza said: "It is important for health care providers to know that people without the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer."
Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said previous research by the team had suggested there was a strong link.
But she added: "People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer."
A vaccine which protects against cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, and also against genital warts is available and the researchers said the study provided a rationale for vaccinating both girls and boys.
But whether the vaccine would protect against oral HPV infection is not yet known.
Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "There is conflicting evidence about the role of HPV, and this rare type of mouth cancer.
"As this was a small study, further research is needed to confirm these observations."
"We know that after age, the main causes of mouth cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, and drinking too much alcohol."
HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.
The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.
But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm the findings.
HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
The John Hopkins study took blood and saliva from 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer which affects the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue.
They also asked questions about sex practices and other risk factors for the disease, such as family history.
Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancer patients in the study.
There was no added risk for people infected with HPV who also smoked and drank alcohol, suggesting the virus itself is driving the risk of the cancer.
Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission of HPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouth transmission, for example through kissing, could not be ruled out.
Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms but a small percentage of people who acquired high-risk strains may develop a cancer, the researchers added.
Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza said: "It is important for health care providers to know that people without the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer."
Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said previous research by the team had suggested there was a strong link.
But she added: "People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer."
A vaccine which protects against cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, and also against genital warts is available and the researchers said the study provided a rationale for vaccinating both girls and boys.
But whether the vaccine would protect against oral HPV infection is not yet known.
Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "There is conflicting evidence about the role of HPV, and this rare type of mouth cancer.
"As this was a small study, further research is needed to confirm these observations."
"We know that after age, the main causes of mouth cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, and drinking too much alcohol."
Right - so it's smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, bonfires, too much alcohol, too little alcohol, red meat, white meat, fish, too much sun, too little sun, too much of certain veg, too little of others, certain additives, certain nuts, certain organic compounds, certain artificial compounds, certain sex aids, certain forms of sex protection, certain gases, certain vapours, certain forms of radiation, certain metals, too much chocolate, too little chocolate and now oral sex that can increase the risk of cancer. And that's not forgetting some people are genetically more prone to cancer.
Well, I'm glad we know what's safe for us
One by one the penguins steal my sanity.