Michael Douglas' representative has clarified reports suggesting the actor's throat cancer was caused by oral sex, insisting the star's comments about the topic have been misconstrued.

The Wall Street star, who is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, hit headlines over the weekend (01-02Jun13) when he voiced his belief that his health battle was caused by a strain of Hpv, the human papillomavirus, which can be contracted through cunnilingus.

He told Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by Hpv, which actually comes about from cunnilingus... I mean, I did worry if the stress caused by my son's incarceration didn't help trigger it. But yeah, it's a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer. And if you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it."

His frank admission won him praise from Brian Hill, executive director of America's Oral Cancer Foundation, for bringing attention to the subject, but Douglas' spokesman, Allen Burry, claims the actor was only making a general link between oral sex and throat cancer, and was not actually referring to his own health struggle.

Burry tells TheWrap.com, "He did not say cunninlingus was the cause of his cancer. He didn't specifically name a cause."