One in Nine American Men Infected With Oral HPV

Human Papilloma Virus infection causes cancer at several sites in the human body, including the throat, anus, penis, and vagina.

Oral human papillomavirus infection, or HPV, is common among U.S. men, especially in those who have had many lifetime oral sexual partners, men who reported having sex with men, and men with concurrent genital HPV infection. //

HPV infection causes cancer at several sites in the human body, including the throat, anus, penis, and vagina. The most common cancer related to HPV infection is oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), a type of head and neck cancer that is disproportionately prevalent in men.

Human Papillomavirus Infection - Risk Factors, Symptoms, Screening, Treatment & Prevention
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, depending on the human papillomavirus that causes it, can result in common warts or can cause cervical cancer.

‘The prevalence of oral HPV infection and also the concordance of oral and genital HPV infection was high in men.’

While prophylactic HPV vaccination may protect against infection and has the potential to reverse the rise in this type of cancer among men, uptake is low and many men are over the eligibility age of 26 years.

For this reason, epidemiological studies on oral HPV infection are crucial to guide the design and development of alternative OPSCC prevention strategies. Examining the relationship between HPV infections occurring at different anatomical sites also is also important to understanding HPV transmission dynamics.

A team of researchers led by the Department of Health services Research, Management and Policy at the University of Florida used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine the prevalence of oral HPV infection and also the concordance of oral and genital HPV infection among U.S. men and women.

Pap smear and Cervical Cancer Screening
Pap smear is the most common test used in screening cervical cancer caused by an infection with human papilloma virus. Pap smear should be repeated every 1 to 3 years till the age of 65 years.

The data showed that the . Almost 2 million men had oncogenic HPV 16 infection; oral HPV was common among men with genital HPV.

The authors conclude that future research needs to be prioritized to improve targeted prevention and advances in screening and early detection procedures to combat head and neck cancer in this high-risk group.