Study shows boys and men need to get the HPV vaccine

Just because men can’t get cervical cancer doesn’t mean they shouldn’t worry about the disease. Especially given the role they play in spreading the virus that causes it. A recent study showed that 25 percent of men can carry an aggressive strain of human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus associated with nearly all cases of cervical cancer. The study of men ages 18 to 59, conducted by researchers at Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, concluded that:

• More than 45 percent of men carry some strain of HPV.
• More than 15 percent of men who are eligible for the vaccine are carriers of at least one aggressive strain of HPV.
• Less than 11 percent of men who are candidates for the HPV vaccine have received it.

“The overall prevalence of genital HPV infection appears to be widespread among all age groups of men, and HPV vaccination coverage is low,” the study author wrote.

Who gets HPV infection?

HPV infects approximately 14 million American men and women each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most sexually active men and women will be infected with one of the more than 150 strains of HPV in your lifetime, many without even knowing it. He. She. Two strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18, cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers. HPV types 6, 11, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 are also associated with cancer and/or papillomas, which are warts that often form on the genitals.

HPV is associated with a high incidence of all cancers of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and some forms of oropharyngeal cancer. And that develops in the throat, tongue or tonsils. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18,000 women and more than 9,000 men are affected by HPV-related cancers each year. “The incidence of HPV-related cancers, including head and neck cancer and anal cancer, is increasing in the United States,” says Dr. John H. Farley, a gynecological oncologist at our hospital near Phoenix and chief of gynecological oncology. The Cancer Treatment Centers of ^America® (CTCA). “These cancers are not sex-specific. Furthermore, the vaccine prevents the acquisition of genital warts, which can also be a devastating problem.”

The protective power of vaccines

Research has shown that the HPV vaccine can prevent cervical and other cancers, as well as genital warts. A study published in the March 2016 issue of the medical journal Pediatrics , found that the prevalence of HPV infection among girls ages 14 to 19 has decreased from 11.5 percent to 4.3 percent since the vaccine was first recommended in 2006. It recommends The CDC vaccinates boys and girls against HPV as part of a routine vaccination when they are 11 or 12 years old. Last year, the CDC lowered its recommended vaccination schedule from three doses to two doses, six to 12 months apart. Vaccines are offered under the brand names Gardasil ^® , Gardasil 9 ^® and Ceravix ^®Recommended for girls and women up to 26 years old and for boys and men up to 21 years old.

Despite recommendations and research on its potential benefit, the vaccination rate remains low, especially among boys and men. In 2013, only 14 percent of children received the recommended dose of the vaccine. The results of the Fort Bragg study underscore the need for boys and men to get the vaccine, says Dr. Justin Chura, MD, chief of surgery and director of gynecological oncology and robotic surgery at our hospital in Philadelphia. “HPV vaccination for boys is important for preventing HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancer and throat cancer in men,” says Dr. Chora. “Vaccinating boys can also help prevent them from transmitting HPV to their partners later in life. Unfortunately, boys are not significantly vaccinated against HPV compared to girls, but there is room for improvement for both sexes.”