Older HIV-positive men who have sex with men at higher risk of HPV that cause anal cancer: Study
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer in women, is also known to cause anal cancer in both women and men. Now, a study led by researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing has found that older HIV-positive men who have sex with men are at higher risk of becoming infected with the HPVs that most often cause anal cancer.
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The study, “Factors Affecting the Prevalence of Strongly and Weakly Carcinogenic and Lower-Risk Human Papillomaviruses in Anal Specimens in a Cohort of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)” was published in the journal, PLoS One Nov.20.
The researchers also report that smoking increases the risk of infection with specific types of HPV among both HIV-infected and uninfected older men by up to 20 percent. This is the first large U.S. study of a group of HIV-infected and uninfected men between the ages of 40 and 69 who have sex with men. Study participants were examined twice a year for up to 25 years.
“Invasive anal cancer is a health crisis for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men,” said Dorothy J. Wiley, associate professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and lead author of the study.
“Right now, invasive anal cancer rates among HIV-infected men who have sex with men surpass rates for seven of the top 10 cancers in men.”
The study, which involved more than 1,200 participants, was performed at four sites in the United States. Nearly 49 percent of the men were HIV-positive. During semi-annual visits, all the men were examined for demographic, sexual, behavioral and HIV-infection characteristics and were tested for HPV.
The researchers found that HPV infections were common among all the men in the study and that the proportion of men affected by HPV remained consistently high across the 40–69 age range. However, HIV-infected men between the ages of 40 and 69 showed a higher risk for HPV infection than HIV-uninfected men.
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