News Finding: Declines in the frequency of vaginal and oral sexual behaviors occurred irrespective of tumor HPV status.
Paper Finding: Awareness of this link between sexual behavior, oral HPV infection, and cancer may cause concern for patients who have HPV-positive OSCC and their partners.
News Context: Investigators also found that abstinence from vaginal sex significantly increased from 10% at baseline to 34% at 6 months (P <.01) and abstinence from oral sex increased from 25% to 80% (P <.01). Declines in the frequency of vaginal and oral sexual behaviors occurred irrespective of tumor HPV status. The findings ultimately suggest that a diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer can have significant negative effects on sexual behavior.
Paper Context: Performing oral sex increases the risk of oral HPV infection, and the risk increases with the number of partners. Awareness of this link between sexual behavior, oral HPV infection, and cancer may cause concern for patients who have HPV-positive OSCC and their partners. Strong associations are observed between sexual behavior, oral HPV infection, and oropharyngeal cancer.