HPV vaccine may be cost-effective strategy for preventing oropharyngeal cancer in males

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published online early in the journal Cancer, researchers from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, have found that vaccinating adolescent boys against the human papillomavirus (HPV) may be a cost-effective approach for preventing squamous cell oropharyngeal cancer.

For the study, researchers applied a statistical model to a population of over 190,000 Canadian boys who were 12 years old in 2012. Results showed that the HPV vaccination could save $8 million to $28 million Canadian dollars over the boys' lifetimes.

The findings of this study are important because HPV-related oropharygneal cancer is projected to become the most common HPV-related cancer in the United States by 2020.

The authors of the study hope that the findings of this study will increase public awareness and persuade policymakers across the world to fund the HPV vaccination in boys.

HPV vaccinations, such as Gardasil, are known to be effective at reducing the risk of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancer in females, and anal cancer in males.