The male role in cervical cancer

Résumé 0

"Experimental, clinical, and epidemiological evidence stronglysuggests that genital Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) are predominantlysexually transmitted. Epidemiological studies invirginal and HPV-negative women clearly indicate that sexualintercourse is virtually a necessary step for acquiring HPV. Aswith any other sexually transmitted disease (STD) men areimplicated in the epidemiological chain of the infection. PenileHPVs are predominantly acquired through sexual contacts.Sexual contacts with women who are prostitutes play animportant role in HPV transmission and in some populationssex workers may become an important reservoir of highriskHPVs. Acting both as “carriers” and “vectors” of oncogenicHPVs male partners may markedly contribute to the risk ofdeveloping cervical cancer in their female partners. Thus, inthe absence of screening programs, a woman’s risk of cervicalcancer may depend less on her own sexual behavior thanon that of her husband or other male partners. Althoughmore rarely than women, men may also become the “victims”of their own HPV infections as a fraction of infected men areat an increased risk of developing penile and anal cancers.Male circumcision status has been shown to reduce the risknot only of acquiring and transmitting genital HPVs but alsoof cervical cancer in their female partners. More research is needed to better understand the natural history and epidemiologyof HPV infections in men. This paper is available tooat: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html"