A large proportion of individuals may be unaware of the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and cancer among men, according to a recent consumer survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James).
Background
Although HPV is most associated with the risk of cervical cancer in women, the virus is more common among men and associated with rising rates of other cancer types. About 42 million patients are currently infected with HPV, and 98% of U.S. individuals have been exposed to the virus—which spreads through sexual contact and childbirth. If the immune system can't kill the virus, the cells can develop into cancer.
The HPV vaccine is currently recommended between the ages of 9 and 12 years for maximum effectiveness; however, it is now available to adults up until age 45. Despite the vaccine’s availability since 2006, the lack of awareness that it can prevent cancer later in life has slowed progress in preventing these cancer types. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that timely HPV vaccination could prevent 90% of cervical cancers alone, but just 56.9% of pediatric patients who qualify for the vaccine have received it. More girls and women are being vaccinated than boys and men.
Electra Paskett, PhD
“We have a vaccine that has been shown to reduce the risk of HPV infections by up to 90%,” highlighted Electra Paskett, PhD, the Marion N. Rowley Professor of Cancer Research and Professor at the OSU College of Medicine as well as a cancer control researcher at the OSUCCC-James. “This is a powerful tool for cancer prevention that has only been available to us in the past few decades, and we are seeing the impact of those vaccines now through the scientific data.”
Survey Methods and Findings
The survey was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform between February 7 and 9, 2025. Researchers asked 1,005 web- (n = 975) and telephone-based (n = 30) respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with basic statements about HPV infections in order to understand the general public’s knowledge of how the infections are spread and their impact on cancer risk.
The researchers found that most of the respondents weren’t knowledgeable about HPV infections and their long-term cancer risk and had misperceptions of how the infections are spread. For instance, 45% of the respondents didn’t know that HPV infections were linked to cancers beyond cervical cancer. The researchers detailed that while HPV infections are the primary risk factor for cervical cancer, the infections are also linked to rising rates of cancers that affect the tonsils, base of the tongue, throat, neck, esophagus, anus, and genitals.
Further, many of the respondents thought that HPV infections impact women more than men. The researchers stated that 42% of the respondents believed HPV infections were more common in women. They hypothesized that because there is only an HPV test for women, individuals may mistakenly think that HPV infections only affect women.
“This is concerning because more men are infected with HPV than women, and they could unknowingly spread it to their partners,” Dr. Paskett stressed.
In addition, 40% of the respondents believed that if they were infected with HPV, they will experience symptoms, although individuals with HPV infections may be asymptomatic until after they develop cancer.
Conclusions
The findings indicated that the lack of public knowledge regarding HPV infections could leave many individuals at risk of preventable cancers.
The researchers cited concerns about rapidly rising rates of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers. Recent estimates have suggested that oropharyngeal cancers may become one of the leading three cancer types among middle-aged men in the United States by 2045 and the most common cancer type among older men in the next 10 years.
“It can take years or even decades for the genetic changes caused by HPV to take effect and transform into cancer,” underscored Matthew Old, MD, a head and neck surgeon at the OSUCCC-James. “Once exposed, there are currently no treatments for HPV infections, and many who are unvaccinated unknowingly carry and spread high-risk strains of the virus. That's why vaccination is so important.”
