Does HPV Vaccination Lower Cancer Risk in Males?

A large real-world study found a lower incidence of any HPV-related cancer among vaccinated males

By
Kerri Miller
April 17, 2026
3 min

Conexiant

Objective:

To evaluate the association between 9-valent HPV vaccination and the incidence of specific HPV-related cancers (head and neck, esophageal, penile, and anal) in males aged 9 to 26 years.

Approach:

Key Findings:

Vaccinated males had a lower incidence of HPV-related cancers compared to unvaccinated males, with a hazard ratio of 0.54 (95% CI, 0.37–0.81), indicating a 46% lower risk among vaccinated individuals.
The difference in cancer incidence was primarily driven by head and neck cancers.

Interpretation:

The study suggests a significant association between HPV vaccination and reduced cancer risk in males, supporting the need for sex-neutral vaccination programs.

Limitations:

Cancer diagnoses were based on administrative coding without histologic confirmation, which may have led to misclassification, potentially affecting the reliability of the findings.
Vaccination records outside participating health care centers were not captured, meaning some patients categorized as unvaccinated may have received the vaccine elsewhere, which could skew results.
Key risk factors such as high-risk sexual behavior were not fully accounted for, which may limit the understanding of the association.

Conclusion:

The findings support the expansion of HPV vaccination to young males, emphasizing the importance of sex-neutral vaccination programs to improve public health outcomes.