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It is widely known to be associated with cervical cancer in women, but HPV, the human papillomavirus, also causes cancer in men. A French presenter recently opened up on this subject, giving welcome additional visibility at the moment.
“I have fucking cancer, me who eats healthily, me who doesn’t smoke, I have throat cancer. How is that possible? Simply because of papillomavirus“ announced on Instagram last month, the host of RTL2 Maxime Deschaeck. A cancer linked to the papillomavirus, which does not only affect women as one might think…
Some male voices are heard
Maxime Deschaeck, affected by HPV at only 40 years old, is not the only one to have opened up on this subject, but voices are becoming rare. Thus in 2013, the actor Michael Douglas was one of the first to discuss his oral cancer linked to HPV which he attributed to his practice of heterosexual oral sex in an interview The Guardian. In January 2023, the boss of Publicis and husband of Anne-Sophie Lapix, Arthur Sadoun, 52, also mentioned tonsil cancer linked to HPV. But beyond that, male speech is little noticed. “It’s wrong”, for Dr Patrick Aïdan, ENT and face and neck surgeon, contacted by Doctissimo.
“It’s a reality, there is an increase in HPV-related cancer in men, cancers of the pharynx, tonsils, tongue, primarily in the United States, but also in France. Concerning the ENT cancers (which remain the majority of male cancers caused by HPV), in 30 years we have gone from disadvantaged patients, who smoked and drank a lot, to patients who have a good social level via sexually transmitted conditions” explains the expert.
A reality confirmed by the figures: According to the WHO, more than 625,000 women develop HPV-related cancer each year worldwide, compared to less than 65,000 men. It’s 10 times less, but it’s not nothing.
A useful awareness when a vaccine is accessible
If Maxime Deschaeck decided to speak publicly about his illness, it is also because today, HPV cancer is no longer inevitable, since vaccination is also open to adolescents. “No luck, in my time, we only vaccinated girls” he confided. A reminder which therefore resembles prevention advice.
“Parents wrote to me on Instagram. I am very happy that this fight can help others.”
However, the awareness that works among girls has not yet been acquired among boys. The first vaccination campaign carried out this school year at the college fell well short of the objectives: only 13% to 15% of college students accepted vaccination. A next vaccination campaign, at the start of the 2024 school year, should target parents of 6th (and 5th) grade students this spring.
“This is important because at present, vaccination is the only way to protect yourself from HPV-related cancers. In ENT centers, they are almost impossible to detect, because they are primarily located in the cells . And if we see signs, it is because the cancer is already advanced. Hence the need for prevention.”