Although the spokesman of actor Michael Douglas insisted the star of Behind the Candelabra was misquoted when he attributed his throat cancer to oral sex, the incident has caused the medical community and health-conscious people to take a second look at the ailment.

The Irish Times, which cited reports from the American Cancer Society and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted the rise in oral cancer cases over the years. However, one outstanding finding is that human papillomavirus (HPV)-linked oral cancers share of all oral cancers rose to 72 per cent during the period 2000-2004 from 16 per cent during the period 1984-1989.

Another study published in 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that over 10 per cent of men and 3.6 per cent of women between the ages 14 and 69 are suffering from oral HPV infections.

These numbers made health experts theorise that HPV, transmitted through sexual contact, plays a role in the development of these cancers, although manifestations may not be immediate because the virus could be dormant for months or years before it could cause cell changes and eventually develop into cancer.

That theory was bolstered by findings that 25 per cent of head and neck cancers were found on people who did not smoked, although such forms of cancers are more common among smokers and heavy drinkers.

Another research presented at the yearly gathering of the American Society of Clinical Oncology said 65 per cent of males with HPV-related oral cancer had an active HPV infection.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation estimated that 5.2 per cent of all cancers worldwide were caused by HPV, which could be the transmitted through the surface of the tonsils and back of the tongue - the active parts of the mouth involved in oral sex - whether it is cunnilingus or fellatio.

Thus, cancers of the throat are increasingly linked to HPV infections while cancers of the lips, gums and the front parts of the tongue are linked to smoking or chewing tobacco, not oral sex.

While pointing to cunnilingus as the alleged cause of the actor's throat cancer, Douglas ironically said it is also the best cure for the ailment. But medical experts disagreed. One head and neck surgeon said, quoted by the Irish Times, "Maybe he thinks that more exposure to the virus will boost his immune system. But medically, that just doesn't make sense."

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