CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
We need your help
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.
On Wednesday, New Scientist magazine reported that oral sex can cause oral cancer, although the risk is small. Citing a study by researchers working for the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, the article said that patients with oral cancer containing a strain of human papillomavirus (HPV) known as HPV 16 were three times more likely to report having oral sex than those without HPV 16. "The researchers think both cunnilingus and fellatio can infect people's mouths," the magazine reports. Raphael Viscidi, a virologist who worked on the study, said, "I think this will convince people." Scientists are currently working on vaccines to prevent cervical cancer, which also might be effective against oral cancer, the magazine reports. The IARC scientists studied more than 1,600 patients from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and the Sudan who had oral cancer and more than 1,700 people without oral cancer. They found that while the risk is small and oral cancer is more likely to result from heavy drinking and smoking, HPV, which is also linked to cervical cancer, can be associated with tumors in the mouth. Heavy use of alcohol and cigarettes is estimated to cause 75% to 90% of oral cancer, and the combination of tobacco smoke and alcohol is thought to produce high levels of cancer-causing agents.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Watch Now: Pride Today
Latest Stories
Louisiana Medicaid quietly stops reimbursing patients for gender-affirming care
July 11 2025 3:35 PM
Harvard seemingly caves to Trump, shuts down LGBTQ+ and women's center websites
July 11 2025 3:08 PM
11 lesbian & sapphic reality dating shows & where to watch them
July 11 2025 12:49 PM
Yes, Superman is an immigrant. He's also a gay icon.
July 11 2025 12:31 PM
15 best LGBTQ-friendly all-inclusive resorts for honeymoons
July 11 2025 12:29 PM
Trump's DOJ subpoenas doctors and medical clinics that care for transgender youth
July 11 2025 9:36 AM
True
After trans people, Trump now erases bisexual people from Stonewall National Monument
July 10 2025 10:45 PM
Black trans woman Dream Johnson killed in Washington, D.C.
July 10 2025 7:59 PM