Throat cancer cases rapidly increase in the West since the start of twenty-first century

Throat cancer cases in the West have significantly increased since the start of the twenty-first century, leading experts to call it an ‘epidemic.’ The rise in a particular type of throat cancer, called oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the tonsils and back of the throat, has been a major concern. This type of cancer is mostly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted. Professor Hisham Mehanna at the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham suggests that people who have multiple sexual partners and practice oral sex are at risk of acquiring this type of cancer during their lifetime.

A ‘case-control study of HPV and Oropharyngeal Cancer’ published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that individuals who have had six or more lifetime oral-sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practice oral sex. Oropharyngeal cancer is now more common than cervical cancer in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Professor Mehanna cites a study conducted by himself and his colleagues at the University of Birmingham, which showed that oral sex is quite prevalent in some countries. In the United Kingdom, for instance, in almost 1,000 people with non-cancer related tonsillectomy issues, 80% of adults reported practicing oral sex at some point in their lives.

To prevent cervical cancer, HPV vaccination of young girls has been implemented in several countries. In countries with up to 85% vaccine coverage among girls, boys are also protected by herd immunity. However, globally, vaccination does not provide individual protection in an age of hyperconnectivity where plenty of sexual contacts may occur with people from countries with low HPV vaccine coverage.

In February 2023, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced plans to administer the HPV vaccine to girls aged nine to 14 years in six states. The first phase of the HPV vaccination campaign is expected to target 255 million girls in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh states respectively, and India’s health ministry plans to acquire 160.2 million doses of the vaccine by 2026 and is preparing to tender a global call for bids.