HPV vaccine for men: Where to? (Review)

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most widespread human pathogens. For a long time, it was treated as an opportunistic infection, but it is in actuality one of the most dangerous carcinogens. It is responsible for numerous malignancies: Cervical, penile, oropharyngeal, vaginal, vulvar and some anal neoplasia. The need for a long-term solution was evident and thus HPV vaccines were proven to be a viable solution. Women and men who have sex with men, and young men are included in the vaccination template. A thorough review using PubMed and other databases that included articles on vaccine templates and targeted male patients was carried out. After review of all of the studies conducted on this subject, there is a clear benefit for HPV vaccination for men. Yet, even with the introduction of a national vaccine program for HPV for women and girls in most developed countries, regarding the male vaccine program, few countries have established a national program. Still, a gender-neutral vaccine remains a controversial issue. It is important to monitor the impact of HPV vaccine in men and the benefits that occur, to inform and spread the results in order to implement this vaccine program worldwide. Any monitoring plan regarding the HPV vaccination must include HPV prevalence, anogenital warts, and anal cancer. The largest impact regarding the range of this type of vaccine is the surveillance of the specific targeted population. HPV vaccine is a very efficient immunization method. Women are obviously the first target, but there are still many contradictions regarding men. Most of the reasons reside in the cost-efficiency aspect, but there is still great debate regarding the most efficient vaccine in the male population. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Data collection process 3. Study characteristics 4. Results of the individual studies 5. Synthesis of the results 6. Acceptance of the HPV vaccine 7. Summary of the evidence 8. Contraindication for the HPV vaccine? 9. Conclusions

Knowledge and Awareness of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Cervical Cancer among Men and Women in Japan: A Questionnaire Survey

“…For example, HPV causes genital warts, oropharyngeal cancer, penile cancer, and anal cancer. HPV vaccination for men has been reported to not only inhibit the spread of HPV infection with sexual contact but also prevent HPV-related diseases (Spînu et al, 2021). Therefore, several countries such as Australia recommend HPV vaccination for men to achieve eradication of cervical cancer and HPV-related diseases (Hall et al, 2019;Laserson et al, 2020).…”

HPV Opportunistic Vaccination: A Literature Review and a Single-Center Experience in Northern Italy through the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Male participation is in general still significantly lower than female participation, despite robust evidence of significant advantages and benefits of vaccinating men, as reported in a review article in 2021 [ 28 ]. However, after the introduction of national vaccination programs against HPV for women and girls in most developed countries, as it regards male vaccination, few countries have established national programs; several authors underlined the crucial importance of monitoring the impact of the HPV vaccine in men and the benefits that occur, informing and disseminating data and figures to implement such vaccination programs worldwide [ 29 ].…”

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination: Focus on the Italian Situation

“…It is vital to continue pushing to ensure a gender-neutral approach to HPV vaccination. Providing adequate protection for all adolescents can lead to significant health gains for the general population, greater protection for the male population, especially for men who have sex with men who do not benefit from vaccination of the female population [46], and finally to a greater vaccination resilience [5].…”