Scientists reveal disturbing link between oral sex and cancer
Topics: Cancer, Health, Women's Health
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Cancer, Health, Women's Health
Doctors have discovered a new cause of skin cancer - and it might make people think twice about one common bedroom practice.
It comes as a 34-year-old woman presented at their clinic with 43 different spots of skin cancer on her face, hands and legs.
She was diagnosed with a deadly form of skin cancer, called squamous cell carcinoma.
The patient underwent surgery to remove the cancerous patches as well as immunotherapy, however, unfortunately the cancer came back.
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Traditionally skin cancer is linked to sun exposure or damage, and we are regularly warned of the dangers of burning while on holiday and the importance of wearing sun cream.
Horrifyingly, scientists found that sun damage wasn't the cause, as they found that the beta-HPV virus was in her skin's DNA.
It was producing viral proteins, taking control of the cells, and causing more cancer to develop.
HPV is transmitted mostly by skin-to-skin contact during sex, and most commonly through oral sex.
It can be linked to head and neck, anal, throat, penile and cervical cancers.
Michael Douglas is one celebrity who revealed that HPV from oral sex caused his tongue cancer, and the virus is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the country.
However, the new research from scientists from the National Institutes of Health have found that HPV can also be linked to skin cancer.
The 34-year-old patient was also found to have a condition which weakened her immune cells, which meant she couldn't fight off the HPV virus.
She was treated with a stem cell transplant to boost her ailing immune system, and three years on her cancer has not returned.
While it was a terrifying situation for the poor patient in question, it is a breakthrough discovery for cancer research.
One of the virologists who led the study is called Dr Andrea Lisco.
She said: "This discovery could completely change how we think about the development, and consequently the treatment, of [skin cancer] in people who have a health condition that compromises immune function.
"It suggests that there may be more people out there with aggressive forms of [skin cancer] who have underlying immune defect and could benefit from treatments targeting the immune system."
The new research was published in the New England Journal Of Medicine.
While it is early days, the discovery is an exciting one for researchers who will now look further into the link.
Young people are urged to take the HPV vaccine, and practicing safe sex is key.
Regular screenings, such as smear tests, can ensure any abnormal cells caused by HPV are picked up earlier.