Oral cancer rates are rising among men

The increase could be linked to HPV, a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer among women. Researchers say that the virus can be transmitted through oral sex. That could account for why oral cancer persists among men, even though tobacco use is reportedly down. HPV is becoming more common among sexually-active adults. About 65% of oral cancer tumors were linked to HPV in 2007, according to the National Cancer Institute.