An international team of scientists led by experts from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (Spain) found that one-third of men on the planet are carriers of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes the development of uterine cancer in women. The results of the research were published at: magazine Lancet Global Health.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus. There are more than 200 species in total, of which 12 are considered oncogenic. The disease is asymptomatic. More than 340,000 women die from cervical cancer each year, and the virus can also increase the risk of anal, oral and pharyngeal cancers. In men, HPV mostly manifests as anogenital warts, but can also trigger penile cancer.
The epidemiology of human papillomavirus in women is well documented, but the prevalence of the virus in men is unknown. To bridge this gap, the authors reviewed 65 studies on this topic. About 45,000 men participated in them.
The results showed that 31% of men worldwide were infected with at least one type of HPV, while 21% were infected with high oncogenic risk HPV. The most common are HPV-16 and HPV-6.
ancient scientists appreciated The effect of sexual behavior on oropharyngeal cancer risk.