Over the past five years, there has been a dramatic increase in oral cancer among men, especially in cancer of the throat and tongue. But the most destructive habit, smoking, is far less prevalent today. According to recent research, the rise is instead linked to changing sexual practices.
A new study released this week based on more than 21 billion insurance claims marked a 61 percent increase in instances of oral cancer between 2011 and 2015, according to The Washington Post. Of those, men were three times as likely to report oral cancer than women. With smoking more or less out of the picture, the cause seems to be HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection and the STI most responsible for cervical, vaginal, and penile cancers. HPV is likely migrating past the genital area simply because younger men are more likely to have oral sex than older generations. And for reasons not entirely clear, men are more likely to be infected with oral HPV, and less likely to shake off the infection, than women.
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be at least 50,000 new cases of oral cancer this year; almost 20 percent will be fatal. There will also be at least 14 million new cases of HPV. And all because an ancient human had sex with a Neanderthal.
