Researchers from Johns Hopkins University also found some evidence that the throat tumours caused by HPV may be less deadly than forms of the cancer caused by smoking or alcohol.  The researchers could not say exactly how HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, would be present in people’s throats, but they said it could be spread through oral sex or even unwashed hands.

HPV related tumours were found to progress less rapidly than the other varieties. This could be because HPV-caused tumours may not invade deep tissues and spread as quickly as other tumours, the researchers say.