Can cunnilingus cause throat cancer?

The No. 1 risk in contracting oral HPV and developing HPV-related throat cancer is having multiple oral sex partners, Dr. Prendes says. Having a higher number of partners increases the risk for both men and women. read more

While there are links between both oral sex and the transmission of oral HPV, and between throat cancer and oral HPV, the virus has not been conclusively linked to the development of oral cancers. Oral sex does, however, increase the risk of HPV transmission. read more

If left untreated, it can also cause cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina — and head and neck cancers. “HPV being a cause of head and neck cancer was really only accepted about five years ago,” says Dr. Maura Gillison, a professor at the Ohio State University who studies HPV infections in the head, throat and neck. read more