Study finds 7% of Americans have oral HPV infections.

USA Today (1/27, Szabo) reports, "Oral infections with HPV, a family of cancer-causing viruses, are more common than doctors expected, according to the first national study of its kind." What's more, "while the viruses can be found in saliva, HPV appears to be mostly spread through sex, rather than more casual contact such as kissing," according to a study published Jan. 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "HPV, the human papillomavirus, is best known for causing cervical cancer and genital warts, but it also causes cancers at the back of the throat, tonsils and base of the tongue, says study author Maura Gillison, a professor at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center."

        "HPV is best known as the cause of cervical cancer, which kills 4,220 women in the US each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.," the Los Angeles Times (1/27, Roan) adds. According to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey "released last year," it "found that about 90% of adults have had oral sex, along with 27% of 15-year-old boys and 23% of 15-year-old girls." In "a study published in October in the Journal of Clinical Oncology" it "traced more than 70% of new cases of oral cancers to HPV infection, putting it ahead of tobacco use as the leading cause of such cancers."

        The New York Times (1/27, O'Connor) "Well" blog explains, "The research is the first major study to document the nationwide prevalence of oral human papillomavirus, or HPV, a disease that has drawn growing attention from public health experts because it has fueled a rise in oropharyngeal cancers affecting the back of the tongue and the throat." The article points out that "while the overall prevalence of HPV was about 7 percent, only 1 percent, or roughly two million people, were infected with HPV 16, the strain linked to throat cancers and many cases of cervical cancer."

        The AP (1/27, Tanner) reports, "Overall, 7 percent of Americans aged 14 to 69 are infected, the study found." However, "the results are not cause for alarm. While mouth cancers are on the rise -- probably from oral sex -- most people with oral HPV will never develop cancer." But "experts say the study provides important information for future research that could increase knowledge about who is most at risk for oral cancer and ways to prevent the disease."

        ABC News (1/27, Gann) reports in its "Medical Unit" blog that "men were at three times greater risk than women for infection with the virus, particularly from age 30 to 34 and 60 to 64." The piece adds, "More oral sex with less protection may be one reason why the risk of oral HPV was so heavy for men, though the study didn't provide any official reason for the gender difference in infection." The researchers "speculated that the virus may have an easier time transmitting orally in men than in women, or that other factors like smoking that are more common among men could facilitate transmission."

        "There are two peaks in the age people are infected -- 30 to 34 and 60 to 64, according to the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association," Bloomberg News (1/27, Lopatto) reports. "Besides sex, other demographics associated with oral HPV infection include age, lifetime number of sex partners, and the number of cigarettes smoked each day." According to the study, "among the 2,483 men who participated in the study conducted in 2009 and 2010, 264 had an oral HPV infection," and "of the 2,385 women, 88 had an oral infection."

        The Washington Times (1/27, Wetzstein) reports, "The study...has broad implications for head and neck cancers, which already strike 50,000 people a year and are increasingly being caused by human papillomavirus (HPV)." Dr. Maura L. Gillison and her colleagues said, "The new study finds that the 'most prevalent' HPV strain found in people's mouths is HPV-16, a type that is particularly likely to cause cancers." The study used "data...from oral-fluid samples collected from some 5,000 people ages 14 to 69 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey." Also covering the story are BBC News (1/27), MedPage Today (1/27, Bankhead), and HealthDay (1/27, Mozes).