Cervical cancer virus is a threat to the men, too

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is known to be one of the major causes of cervical cancer in India. Doctors now say that it can cause cancer in men as well. The strain of HPV that causes cervical cancer gets transmitted sexually — primarily through oral sex — and cause oropharangeal as well as oral cavity cancer in men.

“Poor genital hygiene is the reason. If a man or a woman has multiple sexual partners, chances of transmission increase,” says Dr Anand Vijay Bakshi, senior consultant, oncology at LH Hiranandani hospital.

Bisexual men are particularly prone to this form of cancer, according to Dr Prasad Raj Dandekar, consultant radiation oncologist at LH Hiranandani hospital. “Men who have oral sex with other men tend to be more vulnerable than men who have it with women. The virus is more easily transferred through homosexual relations,” he says.

Cases of HPV-related oral cancer are much higher in the West as the incidence of oral sex is higher there, according to Dr Vedang Murthy, consultant radiation oncologist at Tata Memorial Centre. He adds that the incidence in India is thought to be rising, but no extensive data has been collected on the matter.

“The problem in India is that the rate of tobacco-related oral cancer is so high that it often masks the HPV-related oral cancer. We don’t regularly check for HPV, but we will start soon. Tata Memorial Centre is going to launch a large-scale study into the incidence of this form of cancer in India,” says Murthy.

However, there is some good news too. “The HPV-related oral cancer is more responsive to radiation and chemotherapy than other forms of oral cancers,” says Dr Boman Dhabar, oncologist at Fortis Hospital.

The only precautions that can be taken against the occurrence of this type of cancer are vaccination of women and safe sex.

“Women should take the HPV vaccine… Not only will this stop the spread of oral cancer in men, but also reduce the risk of cervical cancer.” “In the West, many men also take the HPV vaccine in the hope that it will shield them from HPV-related oral cancer. As of now, there isn’t any conclusive evidence to prove that the vaccine works on men, but clinical trials are on to check the same,” he adds.