Cancer of the oral cavity, tongue and pharynx is more often caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) than by smoking, according to M. Gillison of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The virus is also transmitted through oral sex, according to the scientist’s study. The study found a 225 percent increase in oral cancer cases from 1974 to 2007. The risk of contracting the human papillomavirus is significant for women and men with a greater number of sexual partners, Gillison told the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and incurable and most often cause cervical cancer in women. There is a vaccine to protect women from cervical cancer. Options for the vaccines to be administered to men as well, with a view to reducing the rate of anal cancer and the appearance of genital warts, are being discussed. Such immunization will also protect people from the risks of throat cancer as a result of papilloma infection. People should be aware that when practicing oral sex, all health risks remain valid, as with vaginal and anal sex.