HPV in Men

About 85% of people in the United States will be infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point. Most sexually active men will get HPV during their lifetime. Yet many people may not realize just how common HPV is in men or that certain types of HPV can cause cancer.

What is HPV?

HPVs are a group of more than 200 related viruses. Some types of HPV infect the surface of the skin. Others infect moist surfaces called mucous membranes, such as in the throat or female genital tract. HPV spreads when an infected area on one person touches an area on another person. This can happen during skin-to-skin contact or during sexual contact.

The body’s immune system tends to get rid of HPV on its own. But some types of HPV can persist and lead to health problems, including cancer, years later. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer in women, while throat cancer is by far the most common in men.

What are the symptoms of HPV in men?

People with HPV may not know they have it because the infection often does not cause symptoms. If symptoms are noticed, they can vary depending on the type of HPV a person has.

HPV types are divided into “low-risk” and “high-risk” categories. High-risk types have much more potential to cause serious health problems, including cancer.

Low-risk HPV types can affect either the skin or the mucous membranes. They commonly cause growths like warts on the skin of the arms, chest, hands, feet, or genitals. Rarely, low-risk types can cause growths on the mucous membranes of the voice box or windpipe. These can lead to serious breathing problems and occasionally cancer. Certain low-risk HPV infections can be prevented by vaccination.

High-risk HPV types mainly infect mucous membranes. In men, these infections are most often in the upper throat or occasionally on the penis or in the anus. Usually these infections cause no symptoms on their own.

However, infection with high-risk types of HPV might lead to cancer many years afterward. When this happens, symptoms can develop, including pain in the mucous membrane where the cancer starts. For men, the most common place for this to happen is in the throat. These HPV-related throat cancers are called oropharyngeal cancers.

But often, a person with oropharyngeal cancer doesn’t feel any pain at all. Instead, a painless, hard lump might appear in the neck, often caused by cancer spreading to a nearby lymph node.

“HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers tend to grow slowly. They are hard to detect very early. If you have a mass in your neck or throat discomfort that persists beyond a few weeks, you need to see a doctor,” said Devraj Basu, MD, PhD, FACS, an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) expert and a head and neck surgical oncologist at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Can men be tested for HPV?

HPV testing is recommended for cervical cancer screening in women and other people with a cervix. Doctors might recommend that some men get anal HPV testing. Men are at higher risk for anal cancer if they’ve had sex with men or have a weakened immune system, such as from HIV.

There is no approved screening test to find HPV in the throat.

Can men get the HPV vaccine?

Yes, boys and young men should get vaccinated to prevent HPV infections that can lead to cancer later in life. HPV vaccines have been in use since 2006. Research shows that they are safe and effective. They provide long-lasting protection against cancers caused by HPV when given at the recommended ages.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends:

• Boys and girls should get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 9 and 12.
• Teens and young adults ages 13 through 26 who have not been vaccinated, or who haven’t gotten all their doses, should get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Older adults may also consider vaccination in consultation with their doctors. However, early vaccination provides the best protection if it is given before a person is exposed to HPV through sexual contact.

In 2024, only 62% of males ages 13 through 17 were up to date with their HPV vaccines. Learn more about the ACS Guideline for HPV Vaccine Use and why getting vaccinated early is so important.

“The HPV vaccine is a success story. Combined with routine screening, it has led to a drop in the rates of cervical cancer for women,” Dr. Basu said. “But we don’t see that happening yet for men with HPV-related head and neck cancer. This may be due to less awareness of the value of the HPV vaccine for boys. Also, these throat cancers tend to show up later in life than cervical cancer, so we haven’t yet seen the effects of vaccination.”

What cancers in men are caused by HPV?

HPV in men has been linked to:

• Oropharyngeal cancers, which are head and neck cancers that usually start in the tonsils or at the base of the tongue
• Anal cancer
• Penile cancer

“The typical patient with HPV-related head and neck cancer is a man in his 50s or 60s. We don’t fully understand why this disease is almost 3 times more common in men,” Dr. Basu said. “Similar to cervical cancer, these cancers can likely be prevented by the HPV vaccine, particularly when given at a young age before a person becomes sexually active.”

Do female partners of men with HPV face an additional cancer risk?

Men with an HPV infection can spread the virus to any sexual or intimate partner, who will then be at risk of developing an HPV-related cancer later in life. “Researchers are still figuring out why parts of the virus persist in some people after the infection and slowly evolve into cancer,” Dr. Basu said.

While the initial HPV infection can spread easily to a partner, cancers caused by the infection cannot spread because cancer itself is not contagious. People with an HPV-related cancer do not have an active HPV infection or pose a risk of infecting their partners.

“People typically develop cancer from HPV exposures they had decades earlier. By the time you develop cancer, the original HPV infection that can spread the virus is no longer active,” Dr. Basu said.

The most effective way to lower the risk of HPV infection and HPV-related cancers is being vaccinated at the recommended ages. “While getting the HPV vaccine later in life may have some benefit, clearly the greatest bang for the buck is in early adolescence, before you’ve been exposed to HPV,” Dr. Basu said.

Learn more from the American Cancer Society:

• HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
• How to Protect Against HPV
• HPV Vaccines
• Infections That Can Lead to Cancer
• Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer
• Signs and Symptoms of Anal Cancer
• Signs and Symptoms of Penile Cancer

Dr. Basu is an ASCO member.