Towards the eradication of HPV infection through universal specific vaccination

Piergiorgio Crosignani, Antonella De Stefani, Gaetano Maria Fara, Andrea M Isidori, Andrea Lenzi, Carlo Antonio Liverani, Alberto Lombardi, Francesco Saverio Mennini, Giorgio Palu’, Sergio Pecorelli, Andrea P Peracino, Carlo Signorelli, Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is generally recognized to be the direct cause of cervical cancer. The development of effective anti-HPV vaccines, included in the portfolio of recommended vaccinations for any given community, led to the consolidation in many countries of immunization programs to prevent HPV-related cervical cancers. In recent years, increasing evidence in epidemiology and molecular biology have supported the oncogenic role of HPV in the development of other neoplasm including condylomas and penile, anal, vulvar, vaginal, and oro-pharyngeal cancers. Men play a key role in the paradigm of HPV infection: both as patients and as part of the mechanisms of transmission. Data show they are affected almost as often as women. Moreover, no screening procedures for HPV-related disease prevention are applied in men, who fail to undergo routine medical testing by any medical specialist at all. They also do not benefit from government prevention strategies.