HPV vaccine helps prevent anal cancer

HPV vaccine helps prevent anal cancer

The result of a new international study has been released Wednesday saying that the vaccine used by women to prevent cervical cancer can be also used to prevent anal cancers for gay men. The vaccine which is used by women to protect themselves from sexually transmitting the disease HPV has also been shown with good results for men after a series of testing.

Men vaccinated against HPV or human pappiloma virus had a 75% lesser chance of developing different forms of anal lesions that can lead to anal cancer as compared to those other men who just took a placebo. The result of the study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The result was published a day after an advisory was given to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in the United States urging boys 11 to 12 years old to routinely get a vaccine against HPV. Currently, the disease has been estimated to have at least infected 50% of all sexually active adults. HPV infection has been feared by many since it has no signs and symptoms at all. In the United States, there are about 6,000 anal cancer cases per year and about 800 people died annually, according to a health statistics in the United States.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday October 28 2011, 1:59 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0