Long-term outcomes of high-risk human papillomavirus in anal infection support HPV men vaccination

Abstract Introduction/Objective The clinical laboratory in a local hospital has an important role in population surveillance. The clinical laboratory performs analyses on patients admitted to the hospital as inpatients or critical patients and it is also a reference point for people’s health check-ups and health surveillance. Infectious diseases normally have severe symptoms. To ensure benefits from therapeutic treatment, a timely diagnosis is necessary. The human papillomavirus (HPV) virus is among the most diagnosed sexually transmitted infections worldwide, and the male gender is not exempt from it. In fact, 1 out of 3 male individuals is infected with HPV and 1 out of 5 male individuals is infected with a high-risk strain (1). In Italy, vaccination is underway for women only. Vaccine prevention extended to male individuals could lead to a halving of HPV cases. Methods/Case Report From 2018 to 2022, we performed 7362 HPV tests using DNA extraction technique (QiaSimphony) and real-time Multiplex PCR (SeeGene 28 strains). Results (if a Case Study enter NA) 3762 out of 7362 HPV tests performed were positive for one (2059 patients) or more (1969 patients) HPV strains. Women, who are more aware of prevention, are more represented in our sample of subjects. The tests performed on women are 6499 and half (3331) are positive for at least one strain of HPV. Regarding men, 863 tests were performed. About half (431 patients) were positive for at least one HPV strain. Noteworthy, out of 175 anal HPV tests, 48% were positive and 1 patient had squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, in our male patients tested 2 - 12% had low or medium-risk injuries. In total, out of 7529 tests carried out from 2018 to 2022, over than 50% were found to be high-risk viral strains (5231). Of these, however, approximately half (2781) are now preventable with the monovalent HPV vaccine (strains covered: 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58). Conclusion The Ospedale Isola Tiberina – Gemelli Isola is an Institution in the center of Rome, Italy. It is also a reference center for birthrates and women’s prevention. Therefore, our Institution is very efficient in raising awareness of the prevention of HPV-related cancer. Current data indicate that male cases are not negligible, being positive in almost 50% of anal tests, and associated with an increased risk of the related cancers. These data can have an important impact on the Italian population, both in terms of the spread of HPV and healthcare burden and in terms of high healthcare costs.