Private MD News

Is HPV vaccine useful to males?

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will discuss uses of the human papillomavirus vaccine with the FDA at its next meeting as both agencies decide whether to extend treatment to males.

The HPV vaccine Gardasil, which has been approved for use by women since 2006, has proven useful in preventing HPV, which commonly results in cervical cancer, according to a report published in Infectious Diseases in Children.

At the upcoming meeting, the ACIP and FDA will discuss whether the vaccine can also prevent penile, anal, throat, or mouth cancer, which HPV causes in men.

Dr Anna R. Giuliano of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center suggests in the report that vaccinating men would reduce the spread of the virus and benefit men and women, alike. Furthermore, pediatrician, Dr Stan L. Block indicated that is no evidence that Gardasil is any less safe or effective in boys than in girls.

Block expects that a faction of people will refuse the vaccine "because it's associated with sex," but hopes that the majority will perceive how the treatment "can help prevent risks of exposure."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is currently no STD testing approved for finding HPV in men; the only approved HPV exam is a cervical cancer testing for women.