HPV Vaccine for our boys...

[kwillia]

But Genden says that 70% to 90% of head and neck cancer cases worldwide are now caused by HPV; the American Cancer Society American Cancer Society estimates that this year, there will be 42,440 cases of head and neck cancer in the U.S.

Traditionally, head and neck cancer patients were older men who smoke and drank heavily. The alcohol and tobacco damaged the cells in the throat, eventually leading to cancer.

HPV-caused cancer is different. The men (and it’s still mostly men) who get it are younger. In a series of cases at Mount Sinai, they were between 35 and 65.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthew...n-are-getting-throat-cancer/?partner=yahootix

One hope is that the vaccines developed to prevent HPV infection in women – Gardasil, from Merck Merck, and Cervarix, from GlaxoSmithKline GlaxoSmithKline – could prevent HPV infection in the throat and, therefore, cancer later on. But there’s no way to prove this. Drug companies funded studies showing the vaccines prevented the formation of precancerous lesions in the cervix, but there’s no way to do something similar in the throat.

“I think the downside of having the HPV vaccine in young boys is so low and the potential upside is so high that I advocate it,” says Genden. “Do we have evidence that it prevents oropharangeal cancer in boys? No.”

 

[RareBreed]

My oldest got the vaccine at the recommendation of his pediatrician. I didn't have any issues with it and figured better safe than sorry. My youngest will get it too.

 

[Roman]

It wouldn't hurt to get it, other than the initial needle.

 

[glhs837]

A few needles, actually, 3 or 4 I think, but I agree, we had both our daughter and son get this.

 

[Makavide]

Mayo Clinic

I'm aware of the connection between sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Does HPV infection increase cancer risk in men, too?
Answers from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.


The short answer is yes, but the specific risks are different for men. Most of the time, HPV infection doesn't cause any signs or symptoms in either sex, although some types of HPV cause genital warts. Typically, the immune system eliminates the virus without treatment within about two years. Until the virus is gone, you can spread it to your sex partners.

But certain types of HPV, known as high-risk types, may cause persistent infection, which can gradually turn into cancer. With the exception of cervical cancer, HPV-related cancers are uncommon. These rare malignancies include cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus and oropharynx — the back of the mouth and upper part of the throat. They usually develop in conjunction with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

Men who have HIV and have sex with other men are at particular risk of anal, penile and throat cancers associated with persistent HPV infection.

Men can prevent the types of HPV that cause most genital warts by receiving Gardasil, which was originally approved as a cervical cancer vaccine for girls and young women. After additional studies, the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil for males ages 9 to 26, specifically for the prevention of genital warts. More studies are needed to determine whether Gardasil can prevent HPV-associated cancers in men.