The Society of Head and Neck Surgery, “OECD HPV vaccination is free for most men and women”
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer and oropharyngeal cancer (cancers originating from the inside of the neck, such as tonsils and uvula).
Sexual contact is the main route of transmission of HPV. There are more than 100 types, and certain types cause genital warts such as warts, penile cancer, anal cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer. It may disappear spontaneously after infection, but it may remain dormant without symptoms for one month to several years and then suddenly deteriorate into cancer.
In the case of oropharyngeal cancer, men are more than four times more likely than women to get the HPV vaccine. Oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer, can be caused by HPV infection of the oral mucosa through oral sex.
The number of patients with oropharyngeal cancer has more than tripled compared to 20 years ago. The number of new patients with oropharyngeal cancer, which was 229 in 2002, increased to 757 in 2020, a steeper increase than other head and neck cancers.
There are more than 150 types of HPV, but among them, cervical cancer caused by two types, known as high-risk types, such as 16 and 18, accounts for 70% of these cancers. Therefore, if you get a preventive vaccine and get regular checkups once a year, you can prevent more than 95%.
Vaccination is particularly effective when given during adolescence before exposure to HPV. As for the vaccine, ‘Gardasil’, which was developed for the first time in the world, prevents four types of HPV, and ‘Cervarix’, which prevents two types, is available.
Accordingly, the government incorporated HPV vaccination into the National Immunization Program (NIP) and provided it free of charge to women aged 12 to 17 and low-income women aged 18 to 26. On the other hand, males must pay 500,000 to 600,000 won for vaccination.
Accordingly, at the Spring Conference of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery held at the Suwon Convention Center on the 3rd, it was argued that the benefits should be expanded so that men can receive HPV vaccination free of charge to prevent oropharyngeal cancer in men.
Lee Se-young, medical director of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery (Professor of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Chung-Ang University Hospital), said, “There are various reasons for the need for HPV vaccination in men.
Byun Kwon Byeon, deputy public relations director of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery (professor of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital), said, “If you look at men with infertility, the rate of HPV infection is about 17%, but there is a study showing that the rate of HPV infection is about 7% in men who are not.” found that sperm motility and morphology were also poor in HPV-infected men.”
Choi Seong-ho, a professor of infectious medicine at Chung-Ang University Hospital, said, “In OECD member countries, both men and women receive HPV vaccination free of charge.” There is a problem with setting it up, so it needs to be re-evaluated.”
Professor Choi said, “To achieve herd immunity, vaccination is required for more than 60%, but it is still less than 50%.”
Currently, 98 countries are implementing national vaccination only for women and 50 countries for both men and women, but most OECD countries are implementing it for both men and women. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, male children are also included in the mandatory HPV vaccination target. Recently, it has even been argued that it should be called ‘HPV vaccine’ instead of the term cervical cancer vaccine. The recommendation of the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology includes women aged 9 to 45 years and men aged 9 to 26 years for HPV vaccination.
Daeik Kwon medical journalist [email protected]
2023-06-09 11:56:31
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