Overlooked Risk: Male HPV Infection and a New Path Toward Shared Prevention and Treatment

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is often perceived as a predominantly female health concern—largely due to its well-established link with cervical cancer. However, mounting epidemiological and clinical evidence underscores that HPV poses significant, under-recognized risks to men’s health as well. In fact, men are not merely passive carriers; they experience a broad spectrum of HPV-related morbidity, including anogenital warts, anal intraepithelial neoplasia, penile and oropharyngeal cancers, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Unlike cervical cancer, which benefits from decades of organized screening programs, there are no routine, population-based screening protocols for HPV-associated diseases in men. This diagnostic gap contributes to delayed detection and treatment—particularly for anal and oropharyngeal cancers, which are rising in incidence among men in high-income countries. Notably, oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma—strongly associated with HPV type 16—is now more common in men than in women in many regions, driven in part by shifts in sexual behavior and oral HPV exposure.

Gender-inclusive prevention strategies are therefore essential. While HPV vaccination has been widely adopted for adolescent girls, uptake among boys remains suboptimal globally. Yet robust data confirm that vaccinating males significantly reduces transmission dynamics, lowers the burden of genital warts, and prevents cancers at multiple anatomical sites—including those not amenable to screening. The World Health Organization now explicitly recommends gender-neutral HPV immunization programs as a cornerstone of comprehensive cervical and non-cervical cancer control.

Effective prevention also requires integrated clinical education: primary care providers, urologists, dermatologists, and ENT specialists must be equipped to recognize early signs of HPV-related disease in men—from subtle anal dysplasia to persistent oral lesions—and refer appropriately. Public health messaging, too, must evolve beyond gendered narratives to emphasize shared biological risk and collective responsibility in interrupting HPV transmission.

Addressing HPV as a truly sex-neutral pathogen—not just a “women’s issue”—represents a paradigm shift in public health. It calls for coordinated policy action, equitable vaccine access, clinician training, and community engagement. Only through such a unified, evidence-based approach can we meaningfully reduce the global burden of HPV-related disease across all populations.