What are the risks of HPV Infection in Men?
The types of HPV associated with genital cancers can result in other types of cancers, including cancer of the anus or penis in men. While these two cancers are rare in men with an active immune system. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), about 2,070 men in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer of the penis and 3,150 men will be diagnosed with anal cancer.
Studies show that the risk of having anal cancer is about 17 times higher in sexually active bisexual and gay men than in men who have sex only with women. Studies also show that men who have human immunodeficiency virus [1] (HIV) are more susceptible to having anal cancer.
In most cases, the cancers found in the back of the throat, at the base of the tongue and in the tonsils are caused by HPV. In fact, studies show that they are the most common HPV-associated cancers found in men. Over 13,000 new cases of HPV-related cancer are detected in men every year.
Other forms of HPV virus rarely result in cancer in men, but they can cause genital warts. Studies show that about 1% of sexually active men will have genital warts at some point in their life.