Not Smoking But Oral Sex Behind Rising Throat Cancer Cases? HPV Surge Overtakes Tobacco As Leading Cause, Experts Warn — Here’s Everything You Need To Know

While tobacco use remains the primary cause of throat cancer in India, infections from the human papillomavirus (HPV)—often transmitted through oral sex—have overtaken smoking as the leading cause in countries such as the US and the UK.

For decades, throat cancer in India was strongly linked to smoking and chewing tobacco. However, doctors are now seeing a growing number of cases associated with HPV, a common virus spread through intimate contact, including oral sex.

This emerging trend is reigniting conversations about sexual health, HPV awareness, and vaccination. Although tobacco still dominates as the main cause in India, HPV has already become the leading factor in several Western nations.

HPV is among the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. While many infections clear up naturally, certain high-risk strains—like HPV-16 and HPV-18—can persist and eventually lead to cancer. These strains are well known for causing cervical cancer but are also linked to oropharyngeal cancers, affecting areas such as the tonsils and the base of the tongue.

Medical experts explain that HPV can infect throat tissues through oral sex, and in many Western countries, it has become the most common cause of these cancers.

India continues to face a heavy burden of head and neck cancers, which account for roughly one-third of all cancer cases in the country—among the highest proportions globally. Even so, tobacco use, including smokeless forms, remains the leading risk factor, with HPV-related cases still representing a smaller share.

Doctors note that HPV contributes to fewer throat cancer cases in India compared to Western nations. However, there is a clear rise in patients—particularly men in their 40s and 50s—being diagnosed despite having no history of tobacco use, pointing to a possible HPV connection.

Throat cancer develops when genetic mutations trigger abnormal cell growth in the throat. Early symptoms can be subtle and may include persistent hoarseness, a sore throat lasting more than two weeks, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, a lump in the neck or throat, and unexplained weight loss.

Experts stress that early detection is critical for better treatment outcomes, making awareness as important as prevention.

The growing attention on HPV also comes as the government steps up vaccination efforts. On February 28, the Union Health Ministry announced a campaign to provide HPV vaccines to 14-year-old girls to help prevent cervical cancer.

Specialists add that the vaccine could also lower the risk of other HPV-related cancers, including throat cancer, and many are now calling for boys to be vaccinated as well, since HPV spreads through sexual contact and affects both men and women.

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