Can oral HPV spread to other parts of the body?

Someone infected with HPV during oral sex will have HPV in their mouth or throat. They could be infected in both areas if their intimate activities involved exposure of both areas, but the virus would not travel from the person's mouth or throat through their bloodstream to their genital region.


Where does HPV oral cancer spread to?

Patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinomas have been reported to develop lung metastases as long as 8 years after initial treatment [25].

Can you infect other parts of your body with HPV?

The HPV virus does not travel to other parts of the body, so a genital infection does not automatically mean an oral infection.


Does oral HPV spread?

Oral HPV is thought to spread mainly through oral sex and deep tongue kissing. The virus passes from one person to another during sexual activity. Your risk of getting the infection goes up if you: Have more sexual partners.

How do you know if you have oral HPV?

An oral HPV infection has no symptoms and cannot be detected by a test. If you have symptoms that concern you, it does not mean you have cancer, but you should see your health care provider to get it checked. You may undergo a physical exam. Your provider may examine your mouth area.


How is HPV spread?



How rare is HPV in the mouth?

Oncogenic oral HPV DNA is detected in 3.5% of all adults age 20–69 years. Prevalence of the infection is higher in men than women (6.0% vs 1.1%). Infection is more common in people with a higher number of lifetime oral sexual partners and with smoking tobacco.

How fast does oral HPV develop?

What's the oral HPV incubation period? On average, it takes about three to six months for oral HPV warts to appear after exposure. Keep in mind, though, that many people don't develop symptoms at all.

Is oral HPV serious?

HPV can infect the mouth and throat and cause cancers of the oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils). This is called oropharyngeal cancer. HPV is thought to cause 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.


Is oral HPV high risk?

The most frequent subtype of oral HPV is HPV-16. HPV-16 is considered a high-risk type. Oropharyngeal cancer is rare. Approximately 1 percent of people have HPV-16.

Is oral HPV the same as cervical HPV?

Initial studies indicate that oral HPV infection, analogously to cervical infection, is associated with sexual behavior and immunosuppression (8, 22). However, some characteristics of oral HPV infection prevalence appear distinct from cervical infection, such as associations with age.

Why is my body not clearing HPV?

Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.


How long does it take for HPV to cause abnormal cells?

HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after getting an HPV infection. Cervical cancer usually develops over 10 or more years. There can be a long interval between being infected with HPV, the development of abnormal cells on the cervix and the development of cervical cancer.

Can HPV transmit through hands?

Clinicians can reassure their patients that HPV transmission is unlikely to occur through hand-to-genital contact. The majority of genital HPV infections are likely caused by genital-to-genital sexual transmission.

What percentage of oral HPV turns into cancer?

The foundation feels that while these tests find infections through a well-recognized testing protocol (PCR testing), since only about 1% of individuals that develop a high risk type oral HPV infection ever cascade into cancer, and that most often occurs decades after infection, that the utility of the test is highly ...


Does HPV throat cancer spread quickly?

ANSWER: HPV can cause a form of cancer in the back of the throat. Currently, the number of cases of this type of throat cancer is growing rapidly. Because it usually doesn't cause symptoms right away, the cancer typically isn't detected until it has spread to nearby lymph nodes.

How long does it take oral cancer to develop from HPV?

We do not know the time from first oral HPV infection to cancer but it takes many years. We know that some people have infection 15 years or more before cancer.

Should oral papillomas be removed?

Oral squamous papilloma is a benign proliferating lesions characterized by painless growth. Its pathogenesis is related the HPV. Early diagnosis and surgical excision should be performed to avoid further complications.


How do you test for HPV in your throat?

IS THERE A TEST FOR ME TO FIND OUT IF I HAVE ORAL HPV? There is no FDA-approved test to diagnose HPV in the mouth or throat. Medical and dental organizations do not recommend screening for oral HPV. More research is needed to find out if screening for oropharyngeal cancers will have health benefits.

What does HPV in the mouth look like?

What does oral HPV look like? HPV infection within the mouth will first present as small red, pink or pale sores, similar to any mouth ulcer or canker sore. That is why prompt action on your behalf to see a dentist is a must if you detect any oral abnormality in your day-to-day life.

What happens if oral HPV doesn't go away?

In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer.


Can you get oral HPV from kissing?

While sexual intercourse is the primary means of transmission, genital-to-genital interactions, oral-to-genital interactions, or deep (French) kissing can also spread the virus.

Can you get HPV from mouth kissing?

HPV prevention and treatment

Sexual contact, including oral sex and deep kissing, can be a method of HPV transmissionfrom one person to another. The likelihood of contracting oral HPV is directly associated with number of sexual partners a person has had.

What is the most common oral HPV?

The HPV‐16 genotype is the most common HPV genotype to persist in oral and oropharyngeal mucosa 39, 40, 51, 52, 53.


Are all mouth cancers caused by HPV?

The oropharynx includes the tonsils and the base of the tongue. The increase in these cancers is a result of HPV infection. Almost all of these cancers are caused by HPV16, a subtype of the HPV virus. Research indicates that approximately 70 percent of cases of oropharynx cancer is caused by HPV16.

Can you give HPV to yourself?

A patient or their partner may have HPV on the skin of their fingers from touching a touching an infected area. Alternatively, they may have HPV underneath their nails. An HPV infection can thus be spread by touching oneself or others or during the bathing process or touching different areas of the body.