Britain Sees Surge in Oral Cancer Cases Due to Oral Sex

More than 6,000 mouth cancer cases were reported in Britain last year, due to rise in oral sex, according to a study. According to charity group Cancer Research UK, the cases were rising due to the human papilloma virus (HPV) that is transmitted sexually.

Two-thirds of the 6,200 cases diagnosed in 2011 were men.

Many case were due to smoking or drinking heavily, the Daily Mail reported.

Though up to eight in 10 Britons contract HPV at some point in their lives, only one of them -- HPV-16 -- is known to cause cancer.

There were sharp rises in cancer at the base of the tongue and the tonsils, which the report said were two areas of the mouth where cancer is more commonly HPV-related.

Source-IANS