Dr. Munch

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) was always something that mainly females had to worry about. Michael Douglas and his recent announcement, has brought awareness and the need for education to men surrounding this common sexually transmitted infection.

While HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, studies show that women’s bodies usually clear the virus from the cervix quickly; only an infection that persists for years is a cancer risk. It’s not known if oral HPV acts in a similar way, nor is it clear if oral sex is the only way it’s transmitted, said Dr. Gregory Masters of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

According to a recent major study, single men and smokers face higher risks of developing HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer. Bisexual men and college-educated men also showed an increased risk of acquiring oral HPV infections.The rates were also significantly higher for the men who were divorced, separated, or widowed than in those who were married or cohabiting. However, men who had 20 or more sexual partners did not have a significantly increased risk of acquiring any oral HPV infections, the study authors noted. Marital status seems to be more predictive of oral HPV acquisition than does lifetime number of sexual partners. The researchers also found that oral sex and alcohol consumption were not significantly associated with oral HPV infections.

The researchers calculated that annual cases of cervical cancer will drop to 7,700 by 2020 – compared with about 8,700 cases of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer – about 7,400 of them in men.

The report raises the question: Can the vaccine that’s currently given to young women, protect men against oral HPV?

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