Men and HPV: Do they get it, can they spread it?

While the emphasis on preventing cancer caused by HPV is justifiably centered on females, the effect of the virus is certainly not confined to them.

The following question and answers about males and their susceptibility to HPV is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Can you test males for HPV?

Currently, there is no test designed to find HPV in men. But HPV is very common and most men with HPV will never develop health problems from it. Finding out if you have HPV is not as important as finding out if you have the diseases that it can cause.

Most men who get HPV (of any type) never develop any symptoms or health problems. But some types of HPV can cause genital warts. Other types can cause penile cancer or anal cancer. The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause penile or anal cancer. (Note: anal cancer is not the same as colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is more common than anal cancer, but it is not caused by HPV.)

• About 1 percent of sexually active men in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.
• Penile cancer is rare, especially in circumcised men. In the U.S. , it affects about 1 in every 100,000 men. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that about 1,530 men would be diagnosed with penile cancer in the U.S. in 2006.
• Anal cancer is also uncommon—especially in men with healthy immune systems. According to the ACS, about 1,900 men will be diagnosed with anal cancer in the U.S. in 2007.

Who is most vulnerable?

Some men are more likely to develop HPV-related diseases than others:

• Gay and bisexual men are 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than heterosexual men.
• Men with weak immune systems, including those who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are more likely than other men to develop anal cancer. Men with HIV are also more likely to get severe cases of genital warts that are hard to treat.

Is there a test to find genital warts?

Most of the time, you can see genital warts. Some doctors may use a vinegar solution to help find flat warts—but this test can sometimes wrongly identify normal skin as a wart.

Is there a test to screen for HPV-related cancers in men?

Screening tests can find early signs of disease in people who are not yet sick. Screening tests for penile or anal cancer are not widely recommended.

Some experts recommend yearly anal Pap tests for gay, bisexual, and HIV-positive men, since anal cancer is more common in these groups. This test can find abnormal cells in the anus that could turn into cancer over time. If abnormal cells are found, they can be removed. CDC does not recommend anal Pap tests because there is not enough research to show that removing abnormal anal cells actually prevents anal cancer from developing in the future. More studies are needed to understand if anal Pap tests and treatment of abnormal cells prevent anal cancer in men.