Vaccination for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV): Additional Benefits

HPV is a common virus that affects Americans.  At least 15% of all women are infected with HPV. It is widely known that HPV is the common cause of cancer of the cervix in women. Many screening evaluations for cervical cancer not only evaluate the pap smear, but now also include determination of the presence of HPV infection of the cervix.

Studies have indicated that vaccination of adolescent and young adult women can reduce the incidence of precancerous HPV infection by 95 to 100 percent, and reduce the frequency of cancer of the cervix by approximately 50 percent. Since this is such an important safety factor for lifetime freedom from cancer, vaccination for women between ages 12 and 26 is widely recommended by national healthcare organizations.

But, the virus HPV can also produce other illnesses. In order to make a logical decision about whether to use the vaccine, it is important to be aware of the other illnesses that the HPV vaccine may be able to prevent.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer from Dr. T. Dalianis at the Karolinska Institute indicated that since the 1970s, cancer of the tonsil has tripled in Sweden. This increase has not been due to increased intake of alcohol, but rather due to the increased prevalence of HPV.  Their records show that 83 of 98 patients diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2008 were associated with HPV (85 percent) compared to just 23 percent of cases in 1970. This argues strongly for the use of HPV vaccines (such as Gardasil or Cervarix) to reduce tonsil cancer as well as other cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth, and throat.

In addition, an uncommon but serious cancer in men is cancer of the penis. When it occurs, treatment usually requires amputation of the penis to achieve cure. Men who are not circumcised have a higher frequency of penile cancer, as well as men with phimosis, a scarring condition of the penis in uncircumcised individuals.

In another study related to HPV infection, by Dr. B. Schutt Madsen and co-workers from Denmark (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, Volume 17, page 2683, 2008) the authors evaluated the relationship between cancers of the penis and HPV infection. When these authors evaluated all the patients with penile cancer, 65 percent were due to HPV.

This provides additional evidence that the more widespread use of HPV vaccines can be associated with reduction of not only cervical cancer, but also other serious cancers such as cancer of the vagina, cancer of the penis, cancer of the tonsil, and cancers of the lip, mouth, and throat. In addition, HPV is the cause of genital warts, and these can be reduced by vaccination with HPV vaccines.

You should be certain to discuss HPV vaccination for adolescent and young adults of either sex in your family. Your primary care physician can answer your questions about this, and if necessary an infectious disease or oncology consultation can be obtained in order to increase your confidence in the decision you and your family make for prevention of these serious illnesses.