The Michael Douglas story triggered anxieties about the link between oral sex and throat cancer in men - but it's still not easy to tackle the subject with your children
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is thought to be linked to between 25 and 35 per cent of throat cancers Photo: Alamy
Michael Douglas may have retracted his claim about what caused his throat
cancer – but, as the mother of two red-blooded sons aged 18 and 21, the
story still triggered anxieties about the link between oral sex and this
type of cancer in men.
Neither I nor their father have the least idea how to approach the topic with
them. Even if we summoned the courage to do so, we are unsure what we would
advise.
Our sons are well-informed about the importance of safe sex, thanks to their
savvy teachers rather than their tongue-tied parents. But I doubt whether
even their forward-looking schools would have covered the potential risk of
throat cancer from the human papillomavirus (HPV).
To recap: about 15 types of HPV, which is sexually transmitted, are linked
with the risk of cancer – be it oral, cervical, vaginal, anal or penile.
Disturbingly, of the 6,000 throat cancers diagnosed annually, between 25 and
35 per cent are thought to be HPV-related, and are most commonly found in
heterosexual men in their forties and fifties.
Is more frequent oral sex to blame? The NHS points out that the practice
(cunnilingus, especially) is often a conduit for sexual infections and is
likely to be responsible for HPV transmission to the mouth and throat, with
an apparently greater risk for men giving oral sex to women than vice versa.
So why aren’t boys offered Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against two
strains of HPV linked to 75 per cent of cervical cancers, and which studies
suggest can protect against other HPV-linked cancers, too? Australian
authorities began offering shots to schoolboys earlier this year, and many
experts are calling for a similar move here. But the thinking seems to be
that, once most young women have acquired immunity, their male partners will
do so, too. Cost is another factor.
I’m not sure just how sexually active my sons have been, or are. The elder is now in a serious relationship; the younger one is, I suspect, on the verge of sexual discovery. And I don’t know, nor wish to know, about the types of sex they may engage in.
Private HPV vaccinations for boys are available; although Gardasil is only licensed for boys aged 9-15, it can be prescribed outside this range “at the doctor’s discretion”, according to one clinic. But it isn’t just the cost – about £500 for three injections – that makes me hesitate. How do you approach a young man who has just fallen in love for the first time and suggest that he be vaccinated against an infection he might “catch” from his beloved during certain sexual practices? And since 90 per cent of those who are sexually active have been exposed to HPV by the time they are 25, it may be too late anyway.
Maybe we have been too queasy about raising this issue with our children – or maybe we are too anxious, given that the risk of getting cancer from oral sex is probably very small, compared with the risk from tobacco and alcohol. Clearly we can’t get young adults to swear off oral sex, though we might send them useful NHS advice on preventing infections via this route, or offer to fund a private vaccination. Research suggests that even if HPV is present, Gardasil may boost immunity.
One thing we won’t be doing is passing on Douglas’s nonsensical advice – that oral sex is also the “best cure” for throat cancer. It may have been a joke, but what was he thinking of?
For more advice: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/STIs/Pages/Sexualactivitiesandrisk.aspx#Attitudes
I’m not sure just how sexually active my sons have been, or are. The elder is now in a serious relationship; the younger one is, I suspect, on the verge of sexual discovery. And I don’t know, nor wish to know, about the types of sex they may engage in.
Private HPV vaccinations for boys are available; although Gardasil is only licensed for boys aged 9-15, it can be prescribed outside this range “at the doctor’s discretion”, according to one clinic. But it isn’t just the cost – about £500 for three injections – that makes me hesitate. How do you approach a young man who has just fallen in love for the first time and suggest that he be vaccinated against an infection he might “catch” from his beloved during certain sexual practices? And since 90 per cent of those who are sexually active have been exposed to HPV by the time they are 25, it may be too late anyway.
Maybe we have been too queasy about raising this issue with our children – or maybe we are too anxious, given that the risk of getting cancer from oral sex is probably very small, compared with the risk from tobacco and alcohol. Clearly we can’t get young adults to swear off oral sex, though we might send them useful NHS advice on preventing infections via this route, or offer to fund a private vaccination. Research suggests that even if HPV is present, Gardasil may boost immunity.
One thing we won’t be doing is passing on Douglas’s nonsensical advice – that oral sex is also the “best cure” for throat cancer. It may have been a joke, but what was he thinking of?
For more advice: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/STIs/Pages/Sexualactivitiesandrisk.aspx#Attitudes
