"HPV Also Linked to Male Infertility... Call for National Free Vaccination Program"

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Announced by the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery

The Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery has once again emphasized the importance of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccination for men in Korea. There were also discussions about the association between HPV infection and male infertility.

At the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery Spring Conference held on the 2nd, the necessity of HPV vaccination for men to prevent oropharyngeal cancer and its inclusion in the national immunization program was discussed.

HPV causes not only cervical cancer but also various cancers and diseases such as vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, anal cancer, and genital warts. It is especially known to have a significant impact on the incidence of male oropharyngeal cancer (cancer occurring inside the throat, such as the tonsils and uvula).

In the United States, the incidence rate of oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV infection has surpassed that of cervical cancer, and in Korea, the incidence rate of oropharyngeal cancer has increased more than threefold compared to 20 years ago.

The main route of infection is sexual contact. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and certain types cause genital warts such as condyloma, penile cancer, anal cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer. Although the infection sometimes clears naturally, it can remain latent without symptoms for one month to several years and suddenly progress to cancer.

The transmission rate of the HPV virus is similar between men and women, but men are inherently less immune to HPV. Unlike cervical cancer, oropharyngeal cancer has no precancerous stage and no early symptoms, resulting in a poor prognosis.

Lee Se-young, Medical Director of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery and Professor of Otolaryngology at Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, said, "The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has rapidly increased over the past several decades. HPV vaccination for men is necessary to prevent oropharyngeal cancer. However, due to controversies regarding cost-effectiveness, the national HPV vaccination program for men has not yet been implemented in Korea."

He added, "Although early cost-effectiveness studies worldwide were controversial, all studies since 2010 have analyzed HPV vaccination as economically viable. In Korea, there are many issues such as underestimating HPV prevalence, and a reevaluation is currently underway."