Actor Spotlights HPV Link to Throat Cancer

Actor Michael Douglas startled many this week by appearing to say that his throat cancer was caused by oral sex. The Guardian, a British newspaper, published the interview with Douglas June 3. When asked about his cancer, he said, “without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV (human papillomavirus), which actually comes from cunnilingus.” Later, his spokesman said Douglas only meant that oral sex was one of the causes of his cancer. Douglas also has a history of smoking and heavy drinking. In the past, he has attributed his throat cancer to those causes. But HPV also can cause throat cancer. Those caused by smoking and alcohol have declined in the last 20 years. Those caused by HPV have increased. The virus is now the leading cause or oropharyngeal cancer.