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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a vaccine against human papillomaviruses to prevent anal cancer, which is on the rise among gay men, MSNBC reports.
The vaccine against papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16 and 18, produced by Merck&Co under the name Gardasil, has been widely used in Western countries since 2006 to prevent cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer (up to 70 percent of cases of these tumors are caused by these types of virus).
In addition to these cancers, HPV is associated with most cases of penile and anal cancer. According to clinical trials in homosexual men provided to the FDA by Merck & Co, Gardasil can prevent up to 78 percent of anal cancers.
According to the US National Cancer Institute, anal cancer develops in approximately 1.6 people per 100,000 inhabitants, which corresponds to almost 5.3 thousand cases annually. About 720 patients die per year. The incidence of this type of cancer is rapidly growing among homosexuals - currently it is 40 cases per 100,000 representatives of this contingent per year. Although in general, women are still getting sick somewhat more often.
Given these findings, the FDA has approved the vaccine for use in preventing anal cancer in later life in males and females aged 9 to 26 years. In the absence of contraindications, anyone can get the vaccine.
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