- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is a consultant in the Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society and a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and of the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
Risk factors (1)
- HPV infection: A cause of cancer in men?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Cervical dysplasia: Is it cancer?
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Question
HPV infection: A cause of cancer in men?
I'm aware of the connection between sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Does HPV infection increase cancer risk in men, too?
Answer
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.
Next questionCervical dysplasia: Is it cancer?
- Genital HPV infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#common. Accessed April 24, 2012.
- Basic information about HPV-associated cancers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/. Accessed April 24, 2012.
- Feller L, et al. Human papillomavirus-mediated carcinogenesis and HPV-associated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Part 2: Human papillomavirus associated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Head & Face Medicine. 2010;6:15.
- Dietz CA, et al. Genital, oral, and anal human papillomavirus infection in men who have sex with men. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2011;111( suppl 2):S19.
- Ortoski RA, et al. Anal cancer and screening guidelines for human papillomavirus in men. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2011;111(suppl 2):S35.
- Roark, R. The need for anal dysplasia screening and treatment programs for HIV-infected men who have sex with men: A review of the literature. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. 2011;22:433.
- HPV vaccine: Questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hpv/vac-faqs.htm. Accessed April 24, 2012.
- Giuliano AR, et al. Incidence and clearance of genital human papillomavirus infection in men (HIM): A cohort study. The Lancet. 2011;377:932.
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