Bangalore experts hold tobacco, not oral sex, responsible for rising oral cancer deaths
Bangalore experts hold tobacco, not oral sex, responsible for rising oral cancer deaths
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| Up in smoke: In India, three lakh new cases of oral cancer are detected every year. Representational pic |
Studies in the US have linked oral sex to oral cancer. Some experts have even advised the use of condoms while indulging in oral sex. Doctors in India, however, say they would rather concentrate on the bigger risk posed by consumption of tobacco in the country.
Most city doctors also assured reporters that there is no reason for anyone to let the fear of cancer come in the way of enjoying oral sex.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
"In India, the main cause for oral cancer is tobacco. The instances of oral sex leading to cancer are negligible.
We have no government data on this. I will also not recommend the use of condoms during oral sex as it contains plastic and other chemical elements," said Dr S Krishna Murthy, surgical oncologist at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.
Dr RM Lalitha, vice president, Karnataka Cancer Society, also disagreed with the hypothesis. "In India, around 7,500 people die of oral cancer every year. However, it is tobacco that causes these deaths, not oral sex," she said.
However, Dr Ashok Shenoy of the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology agreed with the findings of the study.
"Oral cancer is caused either by tobacco consumption or oral sex. The virus resides in women, which also causes cervical cancer," Shenoy said.
