25 Percent of Men Have Cancer-Linked HPV Genital Infections

A Gynecology Specialists note: An important Associated Press article by Lindsey Tanner, which ran in the Virginian-Pilot, covered new findings about the HPV virus and the importance of vaccinating pre-teen and young girls and boys against it.

Our GYN doctors agree that the HPV vaccine has a proven safety record and we recommend the vaccine for girls starting as young as 9 years old. It is important to note that we are not condoning early sexual activity; we are trying to prevent HPV’s ability to cause cervical cancer in women, cancer in the mouth and upper throat, head and neck cancers, and other cancers. We also recommend that boys get the vaccine through their pediatricians or family practitioners. Our GYN Clinic has administered the HPV vaccine to girls and teens since 2008. If you have any questions, please call our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221.

What the study found

The AP reported on the first national estimate of genital HPV infection in men, published in the journal JAMA Oncology and based on a 2013–14 national health survey in which nearly 2,000 men aged 18 to 59 were tested. The analysis found that nearly half of U.S. men — about 45 percent — have genital HPV infections, a rate higher than previously reported for women, and that roughly 1 in 4 men carries high-risk strains linked with several cancers.

Most HPV infections cause no symptoms and most disappear without treatment, and most adults will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives. But high-risk HPV can cause cancer of the mouth and upper throat, cervical cancer in women, and other cancers, while less harmful strains can cause genital warts. High-risk HPV also poses risks to infected people’s sexual partners, who can catch the virus even when infections are silent. Experts quoted in the article stressed that vaccination rates in pre-teens and young adults remain too low, and that the findings underscore the need to vaccinate boys as well as girls.

Please contact our GYN Clinic at (757) 312-8221 if you have any questions about the HPV vaccine.