HPV vaccine for men: Where to? (Review)

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most widespread human pathogens. For a long time, it was treated as an opportunistic infection, but it is in actuality one of the most dangerous carcinogens. It is responsible for numerous malignancies: Cervical, penile, oropharyngeal, vaginal, vulvar and some anal neoplasia. The need for a long-term solution was evident and thus HPV vaccines were proven to be a viable solution. Women and men who have sex with men, and young men are included in the vaccination template. A thorough review using PubMed and other databases that included articles on vaccine templates and targeted male patients was carried out. After review of all of the studies conducted on this subject, there is a clear benefit for HPV vaccination for men. Yet, even with the introduction of a national vaccine program for HPV for women and girls in most developed countries, regarding the male vaccine program, few countries have established a national program. Still, a gender-neutral vaccine remains a controversial issue. It is important to monitor the impact of HPV vaccine in men and the benefits that occur, to inform and spread the results in order to implement this vaccine program worldwide. Any monitoring plan regarding the HPV vaccination must include HPV prevalence, anogenital warts, and anal cancer. The largest impact regarding the range of this type of vaccine is the surveillance of the specific targeted population. HPV vaccine is a very efficient immunization method. Women are obviously the first target, but there are still many contradictions regarding men. Most of the reasons reside in the cost-efficiency aspect, but there is still great debate regarding the most efficient vaccine in the male population.