Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection that causes majority of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. Prophylactic HPV vaccine is available for the primary prevention of cancer and HPV transmission. Here, we are going to discuss the variation of HPV prevalence, HPV vaccination coverage and potential risk factors of men and women, retrieved from the cross-sectional study of the National Health Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative sample of noninstitutionalized, civilian residents in the USA. The overall penile HPV prevalence in men was 45.2% and the high risk oncogenic HPV prevalence defined by DNA testing was 25.1% that appeared to be widespread among all the age groups, which contrasts the vaginal HPV prevalence of 26.8% in women.
Plain language summaryHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection that causes anal, genital, mouth and throat cancers. We report a higher genital HPV infection prevalence rate in US men (45.2%) which appears to be widespread among all the age groups compared with women, with a low vaccination coverage of 10.7%.HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection, is the major cause of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers in both men and women [1][2][3][4]. HPV infections can be classified into two categories: low risk (LR) HPV or high risk (HR) HPV. LR-HPV infection can lead to cutaneous warts whereas persistent HR-HPV infection in a susceptible host can lead to cancer.Prophylactic vaccines to prevent HPV-associated cancers have been available since 2006. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended HPV vaccination for adolescent girls at the age of 11 years to the age of 26 [5]. However, vaccination in men was not approved by the US FDA until 2009 and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices provided guidance on HPV vaccination for genital warts prevention only. This guidance was further expanded in 2011, similar to women to the age of 26, to decrease HPV transmission and HPV-associated cancers [6]. The age cutoff in men mimicked women vaccination program, but this was determined without reliable epidemiological data on the genital HPV infection prevalence among men of all the age groups. Previously, a quadrivalent HPV (4vHPV) vaccine against types 6, 11, 16 and 18 was available. Subsequently, a 9-valent HPV (9vHPV) vaccine has been FDA-approved for HPV-related cancers that include additional HR HPV types 31, For reprint orders, please contact: reprints@futuremedicine.com