Vaccinate boys against papillomavirus

One in nine men in the United States is infected with oral HPV

Anna Kerman, XX2 century

Eleven million American men are infected with human oral papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cancer of the head, neck and throat, according to a new study. This means that in the United States, one in nine men aged 18 to 69 years is infected. The researchers found that the probability of infection is higher in those who have many partners for oral sex, in homosexuals and bisexuals, and in those who are already infected with human genital papillomavirus.

Sexually transmitted viruses cause various types of cancer, the most common of which is oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and head and neck cancer, which is much more common in men than in women.

"Over the past 20 years, the number of cancers of this type has increased by 300%," said lead researcher Ashish Deshmukh, associate professor at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Deshmukh and his colleagues studied data from 2011 to 2014 obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). They found that almost 12% of men and about 3% of women are infected with oral HPV.

Almost 2 million people were found to have high–risk HPV 16, which, according to Deshmukh, is the strain that causes most cancers. This strain occurs in men six times more often than in women.

Despite the fact that there is an effective HPV vaccine for boys and girls, boys are rarely vaccinated. The researchers also noted that many men at risk are already over 26 years old and either do not fit the conditions of vaccination, or are already infected.

It is recommended to vaccinate against HPV before starting sexual activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) advise vaccinating all children 11 or 12 years old: one vaccination, and another one – in six months or a year. In 2014, according to the CDC, approximately 57% of girls were vaccinated, but only 35% of boys.

"It is necessary to vaccinate boys because the vaccine reduces the risk of cancer," says Deshmukh.

He also noted that even if all boys are vaccinated, it will take years before the number of head and neck cancers will noticeably decrease.

"In short, we need to find alternative ways of prevention, for example, screening and identifying precancerous tissues that can be treated," Deshmukh said.

The report was published online on October 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

According to CDC research in 2013-2014, more than 45% of men are infected with genital HPV, which is more common than oral. About 40% of women are carriers of genital HPV. Genital HPV can cause cancer of the anus, penis and vagina. Vaginal HPV causes approximately 70% of all cases of cervical cancer, according to the CDC.

According to one of the experts, oral HPV has not been sufficiently studied yet.

"Oral HPV is much rarer than genital HPV, and we don't understand it," said Patti Gravitt, a professor at the Faculty of Public Health at George Washington University, Washington, DC.

It is also unclear why oral HPV is more common among men than among women. Moreover, there are more cases of infection with this virus among young and elderly people, and the reasons for this are also unclear, as reported by Gravitt, who wrote an accompanying article.

"Fortunately, we have a very effective vaccine. Unfortunately, many doctors don't talk about it," Gravitt added.

The HPV vaccine prevents cancer, and "the data is impressive," the researcher said. – It is rare to find such effective vaccines. It's safe. We need to better protect people from HPV."

We have already written about the Gardasil vaccine and the effectiveness of its use for the prevention of HPV.

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