Grant: CIHR - ICR / Cancer Research Society Partnership - Research Grants

Public health experts recommend human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for males and females. In some Canadian provinces, there is a catch-up HPV vaccine program for young men aged up to 26 years who are gay, bisexual, or have sex with other men. These men are at higher risk for cancers caused by HPV than the general population. Based on findings from clinical trials, the vaccine should protect against ongoing infection about 60% of the time in young, healthy men. Research is needed to verify whether that will be true in real life. We will follow men in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal to determine how many have ongoing HPV infection, and whether having had HPV vaccine lowers their risk. This will allow us to calculate how well the vaccine works. These findings will help us to evaluate HPV vaccination programs for this high-risk population. They will be shared with public health experts, clinicians, and community members to design better HPV-related cancer prevention programs.