Gypsyamber D"™Souza, Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health speaks about Timing, number, and type of sexual partners associated with the risk of oropharyngeal cancer
Instract
Context
Case-control research from the early 2000s found that oropharyngeal cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV-OPC) is a different entity linked to the number of oral sex partners. We examined novel risk factors (sexual debut habits, exposure intensity, and relationship dynamics) and serological markers on HPV-OPC odds using current data.
Methodology
From 2013 to 2018, HPV-OPC patients and frequency-matched controls were enrolled in a multicenter trial. A behavioral survey was conducted by respondents. Using a chi-square test for categorical variables and a t-test for continuous variables, characteristics were compared. Using logistic regression, modified odds ratios (aOR) were calculated.
Outcomes
A total of 163 patients with HPV"OPC and 345 controls were included. The lifetime number of oral sex partners has been correlated with substantially higher HPV-OPC odds (>10 partners: odds ratio [OR], 4.3 [95% CI, 2.8-6.7]). Younger age at first oral sex (<18 vs >20 years: aOR, 1.8 [95 percent CI, 1.1-3.2]) and oral sex strength (>5 sex-years: aOR, 2.8 [95 percent CI, 1.1-7.5]) remained associated with substantially increased HPV-OPC odds despite adjustment for the number of oral sex partners and smoking. HPV-OPC was correlated with the type of sexual partners, such as older partners when a case was younger (OR, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.6]) or finding a partner that had extramarital sex (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.1-2.4]). Seropositivity was associated with increased odds of HPV-OPC for antibodies to HPV16 E6 (OR, 286 [95% CI, 122-670]) and any HPV16 E protein (E1, E2, E6, E7; OR, 163 [95% CI, 70-378]).
Completion
The number of oral sex partners remains a strong risk factor for HPV-OPC, but new independent risk factors are timing and strength of oral sex. These activities indicate additional complexities about how and why HPV-OPC is generated by certain people.