2023-07-14 13:49:15
Study by the University of Leipzig puts prejudices regarding illness into perspective.
Cancer of the mouth and throat does not primarily affect people with very excessive sex lives and a higher number of sexual partners. This is shown by a study by the University Medical Center in Leipzig, which puts such common prejudices into perspective, as the university announced on Friday. According to the study, the sexual behavior of patients with mouth and throat tumors caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) does not differ from that of healthy people.
HPV is a common virus that most people contract at some point in life. It can attack the skin and mucous membranes on different parts of the body. Most HPV types are benign. However, some HPV subtypes can infect cells, form precancerous lesions and even trigger or promote cancer. These include cervical cancer, tumors of the mouth and throat, and anal, penile, and vulvar cancer.
About a third of the mouth and throat tumors diagnosed in Germany are caused by HP viruses. Those affected are often assumed to have sexual behavior with frequently changing partners and an increased frequency of oral sex, the Leipzig researchers explained. This is also discussed as a risk factor among experts. The current study, which included 317 head and neck cancer patients and 303 controls, did not confirm this.
Risk factors: Smoking tobacco and alcohol consumption, among others
With regard to changing sexual partners, the sexual behavior of the cancer patients does not differ from that of the control group and other patients who developed mouth and throat cancer not caused by HPV. However, the research results confirm a number of already known risk factors such as tobacco smoking and high alcohol consumption on a daily basis. In Germany, girls and boys from the age of nine can be vaccinated once morest infection with certain HP viruses.
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