HPV Cancer in Men: How, Symptoms, Test, Treatment, and Prevention – Usually hearing the word HPV must remember women straight away, as if HPV could only infect women. Whereas not only women, men can also contract HPV. If a woman has HPV, it is more likely to increase the risk of cervical cancer.
The same is the case with men, where HPV infection can cause a man to have genital warts or even genital cancer as well as rectal cancer. A greater risk of rectal cancer is experienced by men with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
HPV can also cause cancers found behind the throat, including at the base of the tongue and in the tonsils. The type of high-risk HPV that can cause cancer rarely shows symptoms in men or women. Genital warts are the first symptoms you see with a type of low-risk HPV that causes warts but not cancer.
How do males get HPV?
HPV in men can be transmitted through se**xual contact with people already infected with HPV. The transmission is very easy and most often occurs through a**nal, vagi**nal, or oral se**x.
Keep in mind, HPV can be transmitted even if the infected person shows no signs and symptoms.
Are men who get an HPV infection, potentially suffering from cancer as well?
Yes, there is always the possibility that a man infected with the HPV virus will have cancer later on, especially for those with poor endurance. The Cancer Research UK report found around 1,100 cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year and more than 500 new cases of genital cancer have been diagnosed in the UK each year.
Symptoms of HPV in Men
The HPV infection generally does not show any symptoms, both in men and in women. Some types of HPV do not cause cancer, but it causes genital warts.
To diagnose genital warts in men, generally the doctor will examine the male genitals first, to see if there are warts. Some doctors apply vinegar to help identify non-prominent warts.
Is there a test for HPV in males?
To date, there has been no HPV screening test other than for cervical cancer in women. Therefore, most cases of HPV in males are only known when they reach serious conditions, making them difficult to treat.
However, doctors recommend that men undergo a**nal pap screening, especially those at high risk of cancer-causing HPV infection. On a a**nal pap examination, the doctor will take a sample of the cell from the anus, then examine it in the lab to detect abnormalities.
Read also:
Early symptoms of cervical cancer
Treatment For HPV Infection
No special treatment can be given to patients who do not experience any symptoms. To treat warts on the pubic, the doctor usually gives an ointment or performs surgery to remove the warts.
Doctors usually do not recommend early therapy for warts on the pubic, as warts can usually disappear by themselves. In addition, warts usually take a certain period of time to arise entirely, so in patients who undergo early treatment may require repeated treatment to overcome the warts that grow after the first treatment is complete.
Anus cancer can be treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation or by surgery. This specific treatment of anus cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the size of the cancer, and how far the cancer has spread.
The HPV (Gardasil) vaccine is usually given to men aged 9-26 years to prevent the pubic warts caused by HPV 6 and 11.
In addition, Gardasil is also one of the prevention of anus cancer.
How to prevent the spread of HPV Cancer in Men
Being careful and undergoing abstinence is indeed the only way to prevent transmission. The risk of transmission is that a person has se**xual inter**course.
To lower the risk of transmission, men can also limit the number of s**ex partners and choose couples who have no history of having s**ex with others.
Con**doms can provide protection against HPV transmission. Unfortunately, they are not 100% effective, as HPV is transmitted mainly through skin-to-skin contact.
Thank you very much for reading HPV Cancer in Men: How, Symptoms, Test, Treatment, and Prevention, hopefully useful.
Image credit: melvil, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
