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HPV vaccine recommended for men

By Robert Altman

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccination, has been recommended to young women since 2006 because women are at a greater risk of developing cancer from the infection. But the vaccine was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for men as well, and it is available at Watkins Memorial Health Center.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is responsible for most cases of genital warts.

“We certainly see a lot of guys that come in with bumps that end up being warts,” said Dr. Robert Brown, a physician at Watkins. “For some people, genital warts can be a huge burden. Sometimes they’re fairly prominent, can be pretty frustrating and hard to get rid of, and that can create a big emotional burden as well.”

Gardasil protects against four types of HPV — two that are the most common causes of cervical cancer and could increase the risk for penile, anal, oral and throat cancers, and two that predominantly cause genital warts.

What scares doctors, he said, is that HPV can often be passed among sexual partners for years without any symptoms at all, and it is often overlooked by men because they have a smaller risk of developing cancer from the infection.

“It’s something that men should think about in terms of responsibility,” Brown said. “This will protect them from getting something that could be passed to future girlfriends or wives, things that could actually both increase risk of cervical cancer and genital warts.”

Because many insurance companies cover the vaccine, the shots should cost almost nothing for most college students.

“I definitely think people should get it,” said Gianni Secchi, a senior from Dallas. “If it’s practically free, then I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t get it.”

The vaccine is administered in three shots that are usually about $150 each. Merck, the company that makes Gardasil, has also set up programs that ensure patients won’t pay more than $40 if their insurance offers only partial coverage and that provides free shots for people without health insurance who are older than 19 and meet financial guidelines.

Brown said that students aren’t often as worried about cancer that develops later in life and hoped that the more immediate risks of warts would persuade men to get the vaccine.

— Edited by Allyson Shaw

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HPV vaccine recommended for men

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