HPV vaccine provides real benefits for men, analysis shows

Employees in personal protective equipment (PPE) work inside a lab where the HPV vaccine is prodcuded at Serum Institute of India, Pune, India, February 27, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File photo

(Reuters) - Vaccination of boys and men against the human papillomavirus (HPV) reduces their risk of head and neck cancers and other malignancies, a new analysis shows, adding to the vaccine's proven benefit in protecting women from cervical cancer.

The study of more than 3.4 million people is one of the first long-term analyses of the vaccine's real-world effect on preventing HPV-related cancers of the head and neck, anal areas, penis, vulva, vagina and cervix, researchers said.