The HPV vaccine is linked to lower rates of head and neck cancer in males, study finds

the hpv vaccine is linked to lower rates of head and neck cancer in males, study finds

The HPV vaccine is linked to a drastic reduction in head and neck cancers in adolescent boys and men, new research finds.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer. But the virus is also linked to a number of other cancers, including penile, anal and vaginal cancers.

It also accounts for the majority — up to 70% — of head and neck cancers, which affect the throat and mouth. Men are about twice as likely to develop these cancers than women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The HPV vaccine, initially approved for adolescent girls, protects against strains of the virus linked to cervical cancer and has been found to significantly reduce rates of the cancer. But there’s growing evidence that the vaccine also protects against other HPV-related cancers.

“We want males to be thinking about HPV vaccination not just as something that protects female patients, but also male patients,” said Jefferson DeKloe, a research fellow in the department of otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University, who specializes in head and neck surgery and who co-authored the research.

The findings will be presented next week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Prior research showed a downward trend in oral infections with HPV strains known to cause cancer. That was a promising sign, said Dr. Glenn J. Hanna, a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Center for Head and Neck Oncology, who was not involved in the new research.

“If we can lower the infection rate, we would hope that we would see what we are seeing now, a decline in cancer rates,” Hanna said. “This is an important evolution of the story.”

The new study analyzed health records from a national database that included nearly 3.5 million people in the United States ages 9 to 39 who had received any vaccination — HPV or otherwise — from 2010 through 2023. About 1.5 million were male, half of whom had been vaccinated against cancer-causing strains of HPV. Nearly 1 million were females who had been vaccinated against HPV.

The researchers compared the rates of HPV-linked cancers — including head and neck, anal, penile, and cervical cancers — in people who had received the HPV vaccine to those who hadn’t. They found being vaccinated reduced the overall risk of HPV-related cancers in males by 54%, a decrease driven primarily by a drop in head and neck cancers. Females were about 30% less likely to develop any type of HPV-related cancer, including cervical cancer.

Most cases of head and neck cancer are in people older than 50. Since the U.S. is only about a decade into widespread HPV vaccination in both males and females, the vaccinated generation hasn’t reached this age yet. HPV typically infects younger people and takes decades for chronic infection to lead to cancer.

“These are the early results of a larger phenomenon we are going to watch play out over the next 20 or 30 years,” DeKloe said, noting that experts don’t expect to see the full effect HPV vaccination has on cancer rates until the largely vaccinated generation is older.

A second study, which will also be presented at the ASCO conference next week and is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, found that HPV vaccination rates have been on the rise in the U.S. from 2011 through early 2020, including in all racial and ethnic groups.

HPV vaccination wasn’t recommended for males until 2011, five years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine series for girls. The HPV vaccine is now recommended for all adolescents starting as young as age 9, but can also be given to adults up to age 45.

In the new study, which included children and young adults ages 9 to 26, the increase was largely driven by growing HPV vaccine uptake among males. Although overall HPV vaccination rates among males still lag behind females — about 36% compared to about 50% of those in the 9 to 26 age group — these rates are accelerating.

“The gap is narrowing between males and females and eventually I would hope that they would meet up,” said Dr. Danh Nguyen, a resident physician at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who led the research.

Although vaccination efforts have focused on adolescents, adults should also consider getting vaccinated if they weren’t when they were younger, said Dr. Nancy Lee, service chief of head and neck radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who was not involved with either study.

“If you are in your 20s or 30s, you can still get the vaccination. Even if you are 45, there is no reason you cannot get vaccinated because we have a population that lives a long time,” Lee said.

Nguyen said it’s important that conversations about HPV vaccination continue to focus on the prevention of all cancers, including head and neck cancers that are more prevalent in men, rather than solely on cervical cancer prevention.

Hanna said stigma around HPV being a sexually transmitted infection has made discussions around vaccinating adolescents a sticky subject in the past, but that clear data showing the impact vaccination rates have on HPV-related cancers is shifting the narrative.

“HPV vaccination is cancer prevention,” Hanna said. “The bottom line is that we are preventing cancers broadly by getting people vaccinated younger.”

Kaitlin Sullivan

Kaitlin Sullivan is a contributor for NBCNews.com who has worked with NBC News Investigations. She reports on health, science and the environment and is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.

OTHER NEWS

28 minutes ago

Chris Billam-Smith says experience was the key in avenging Richard Riakporhe loss

28 minutes ago

Baby-wearing dads celebrate Fathers’ Day with record-breaking walk in S’pore

28 minutes ago

‘In South Africa, you hear of disappearance all the time’: one photographer’s search for his sister’s missing years

28 minutes ago

HMRC has failed to fine a single ‘enabler’ of offshore tax fraud in five years

28 minutes ago

Cameron Smith's shirt at the 2024 U.S. Open is a periodic table of alcohol — and you can own it, too

28 minutes ago

From Oregon Trail to Wurdweb, five fun games to play on Apple Arcade this summer

28 minutes ago

2 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Texas Juneteenth celebration: officials

31 minutes ago

Inmates take staff hostage at a detention center in southern Russia

35 minutes ago

Seibold lauds gutsy Manly after 30-14 win over Dragons

35 minutes ago

Saudi FM: Ukraine peace process will need Russia’s participation

35 minutes ago

How to pick a watermelon: Sweet and ripe every time

35 minutes ago

Ratcliffe must axe Man Utd ace who earns 4x more than Branthwaite

35 minutes ago

Rachel Stevens admits she was left in 'turmoil' after falling for Dancing on Ice partner Brendyn Hatfield ahead of 'messy and scary' split from husband Alex Bourne

35 minutes ago

Brave Kate is a beacon of light in new behind-the-scenes Trooping the Colour video - as Waleses reveal they are 'in awe' at 'incredible' ceremony that included Princess' Buckingham Palace balcony appearance

40 minutes ago

The Rev James Lawson, Martin Luther King’s right-hand man in the Civil Rights struggle – obituary

40 minutes ago

Here’s how I’d target £1,580 in passive income next year using a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA

40 minutes ago

Artem Dovbyk’s path from Ukraine’s third tier to La Liga’s finest finisher

40 minutes ago

Christian Eriksen to complete football's greatest comeback - "I'd died for five minutes"

40 minutes ago

Slovenia vs Denmark: Euro 2024 prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds today

40 minutes ago

Poland vs Netherlands: Euro 2024 prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds today

40 minutes ago

Larsson: Barca need signings to win trophies next season

40 minutes ago

I have a terminal brain tumour and doctors have given me a year to live - I want this Father's Day to be the best ever in case it's my last one

40 minutes ago

Israel announces daily 'tactical pause' in fighting in southern Gaza to let humanitarian aid flow into the war-torn region

40 minutes ago

Tom Parker widow Kelsey says their young children, Aurelia, 4, and Bodhi, 3, still make Father's Day cards for the singer two years on from his death

40 minutes ago

We're parenting experts and here are 9 tips to help you survive Father's Day as a single mother

40 minutes ago

Inside King Charles's changing relationship with Prince William and Prince Harry amid family turmoil in recent years - as he celebrates Father's Day without his youngest son

42 minutes ago

Jayden Daniels has signed his rookie contract with the Washington Commanders

45 minutes ago

Taylor Swift Chokes Up On Stage During Final Liverpool Concert In Eras Tour

46 minutes ago

Michael Clarke appears to confirm romance with new real estate guru Arabella Sherborne as they enjoy romantic holiday on the Gold Coast

46 minutes ago

Driver shares frustration with photo of 'gas guzzler' parked in electric charging spot: 'Why is it that pickup truck drivers have such hate for EVs?'

46 minutes ago

The Wanted singer Tom Parker's kids make him Father's Day cards two years after death

46 minutes ago

New tool for tactical votes in Tory-held seats aims to change voting system

46 minutes ago

Whatever way you look at it, the Dublin Mayo rivalry covered up for years of poor football

48 minutes ago

Billy Crystal poked fun at Robert De Niro’s acting on set of ‘Analyze This’

48 minutes ago

Céline Dion believes late husband’s spirit is still in her life

48 minutes ago

Keith Richards got so wasted on Rolling Stones tour he was flown to another country while still in bed

49 minutes ago

Clive Myrie reveals shocking extent of racial abuse faced as BBC newsreader

49 minutes ago

France seek fast start to help end 24 years of waiting for European Championship glory

50 minutes ago

Richards Bay have Premiership fate in own hands with AmaTuks draw

50 minutes ago

In Sudan, Russia's Africa strategy advances another step