Michael Douglas Blames His Cancer on Oral Sex
Experts say the claim is probably correct, because tumors caused by HPV virus much more responsive to treatmentBy Steven Reinberg
MONDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Hollywood star Michael Douglas says oral sex caused his recent bout with throat cancer.
"Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus," Douglas, 68, told the British newspaper The Guardian. He added that he has had real success beating back the tumor with chemotherapy and, "with this kind of cancer, 95 percent of the time it doesn't come back."
Douglas is also a longtime smoker, and was at one time a heavy drinker -- both behaviors are risk factors for throat cancer. But experts say it's not farfetched to think oral sex may have been a contributing factor.
"This is no surprise to anybody who studies infectious diseases," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City said. "There is a big increase in HPV-related cancers, and one of the main ones, if not the main one, is throat cancer."
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