Health News
2007-02-01
New HPV vaccine
may also benefit men
The vaccine for
the human papillomavirus could help prevent not only
cervical cancer, but also anal cancer, reports The
The vaccine for
the human papillomavirus could help prevent not only
cervical cancer, but also anal cancer, reports TheNew York Times. Both cancers are caused by the
same strains of HPV.
Anal cancer is
most common in men who have histories of receptive anal
intercourse, but it can affect anyone. There is an annual
rate of about 35 cases per 100,000, but that figure
nearly doubles for those living with HIV.
"The cervix is
similar biologically to the anus, so there's plenty of
hope that it will work there also," Joel Palefsky, a
professor of medicine at the University of California,
San Francisco, told the Times.
The vaccine
became available last summer after the Food and Drug
Administration approved it for girls and women from
ages 9 to 26. Studies showed that the vaccine is
highly effective against four of the dozens of HPV
strains, including the ones responsible for most cases of
genital and anal warts, and cervical and anal cancer.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is the
most common sexually transmitted disease in the United
States, infecting 6.2 million people every year.
The rate of anal
cancer for gay men is similar to rates of cervical
cancer before the use of the Pap smear, a test used to
detect precancerous cells. Many gay men are unaware
that they have an increased risk of anal cancer.
Pharmaceutical
giant Merck has made a vaccine called Gardasil that has
been approved by regulators in Australia and the European
Union for boys ages 9–15. Data shows it caused
an immune response in boys, but its ability to prevent
infection in sexually active men has not been
demonstrated. (The Advocate)
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