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Apparently Michael Douglas's basic sexual instinct and his fatal attraction to a certain oral act gave him throat cancer. In all seriousness, though, the actor revealed in a candid interview in the Guardian, that "this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
The 68-year-old husband of Catherine Zeta Jones admitted that the sexually transmitted disease brought about the walnut-sized tumour at the base of his tongue. He was later diagnosed with stage-four cancer in the summer of 2010.
Though stage-four cancer is often terminal, Douglas fought a hard battle, enduring weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, which caused him to lose 45 lbs on a liquids-only diet. "That's a rough ride. That can really take it out of you," he said. "Plus the amount of chemo I was getting, it zaps all the good stuff too. It made me very weak."
He was given the all-clear by doctors two years ago. And though many assumed the cancer was brought on by Douglas's booze and tobacco habits, it was his other addiction that allegedly made him susceptible to oral cancer.
Recent studies suggest that many patients with oral cancer also tested positive for HPV.
"It has been established beyond reasonable doubt that the HPV type 16 is the causative agent in oropharyngeal cancer," said Mahesh Kumar, a consultant head and neck surgeon in London. But even Kumar doubted that cunnilingus alone caused the cancer in Douglas.
In the UK and elsewhere, teenaged girls are vaccinated against HPV, a measure which health professionals hope will protect them and their future partners against cervical and oral cancers.
Would you consider having your daughter vaccinated against HPV? See what our resident doctor has to say about screening.