Medical experts are raising the alarm after new research revealed that oral sex has now overtaken smoking and drinking as the top cause of throat cancer worldwide. The shocking shift is being linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can trigger deadly tumors in the mouth and throat.
Professor Hisham Mehanna of the University of Birmingham warned in a chilling BBC report that people with multiple sexual partners face a sharply increased risk. “We are seeing an explosion in HPV-related throat cancer, and the driving factor is oral sex,” he said, noting that cases have spiked more than 200% in the past two decades.
In the US and UK, HPV-related throat cancer now accounts for 70% of all new cases of oropharyngeal cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. Alarmingly, many people carrying HPV show no symptoms at all, allowing the virus to silently wreak havoc years—or even decades—after exposure.
“We MUST start talking openly about HPV and throat cancer risk—too many lives are being lost to something preventable.” https://twitter.com/CancerResearchUK/status/1659876543210987654 — Cancer Research UK (@CancerResearchUK) May 6, 2025
Doctors stress that the HPV vaccine, widely available to teens and young adults, offers powerful protection against the strains of HPV most likely to cause cancer. But awareness remains worryingly low. A 2024 survey found that fewer than 30% of adults knew HPV could cause throat cancer—not just cervical cancer.
Oropharyngeal cancer can lurk undetected for years, with early signs like persistent sore throat, ear pain, hoarseness, or a lump in the neck often mistaken for minor illnesses. By the time it’s caught, many cases are already advanced.
In light of the surge, public health campaigns are now urgently pushing for broader HPV vaccination and more open conversations about sexual health risks tied to oral sex. Experts emphasize that while cancer rates linked to smoking are finally falling, the new HPV-related epidemic threatens to replace it as a top killer unless action is taken fast.
