Indeed, HPV infections are now a proportionally significant cause of oropharyngeal (head, neck, and throat) cancer diagnoses. And epidemiological modelling suggests that by 2020, HPV will cause more oropharyngeal cancers than cervical cancers in the United States.
In 2013, news reports of Hollywood veteran (and self-confessed ladies’ man) Michael Douglas identified HPV as the cause of his throat cancer, creating public interest in the relationship between sexual activity and cancer risk.
Unfortunately, some interpretations of this news were incorrect, leading people to believe that oral sex could also “cure” cancer after Douglas also made that claim. In fact, the only “cure” in the case of HPV-related cancers is prevention.
HPV vaccination
Vaccination is the primary method of preventing HPV-related cancers. But as mentioned above, some parents still question why males need the vaccine if girls are receiving it through the school-based program.
The reason is twofold.
Among heterosexual couples, HPV is transmitted between males and females (either partner could be infected first and transmit it to the other). So, vaccinating women provides some benefits to men, but full protection of heterosexual men only occurs if most women receive the vaccine.
While the school-based program in Australia has reached quite high coverage of girls, it isn’t high enough to fully protect all heterosexual boys. What’s more, men who are vaccinated will help protect future partners who are not vaccinated.
The second reason is that adolescent boys who do or will eventually identify as bisexual or homosexual are not protected. It’s unrealistic, impractical, and stigmatising to try to single out this population at the age of 12, when school children receive the HPV vaccine.
