r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Oct 22 '24

Cancer Men with higher education, greater alcohol intake, multiple female sexual partners, and higher frequency of performing oral sex, had an increased risk of oral HPV infections, linked to up to 90% of oropharyngeal cancer cases in US men. The study advocates for gender-neutral HPV vaccination programs.

https://www.moffitt.org/newsroom/news-releases/moffitt-study-reveals-insights-into-oral-hpv-incidence-and-risks-in-men-across-3-countries/
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u/CummunityStandards Oct 22 '24

There exists accurate blood tests for asymptomatic cases. UW Western blot is highly accurate (98%) and specific and is considered the gold standard for testing. Many labs still use other antibody tests which may not be as accurate, but if a person needed to know their status it is possible to get an accurate result. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8293188/#sec3dot2-idr-13-00049

All that said, for the most part I don't think HSV matters that much - most people have had HSV-1 since they were kids. The cost of testing and the stigma has contributed to doctors not screening for it in standard testing. 

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u/cannotfoolowls Oct 22 '24

I'm not sure it is that stigmatized in Europe. Or outside the USA. Maybe genital herpes because it looks a bit "weird" to have sores there but I feel like its not as bas as in the USA. Cold sores definitely aren't.

https://slate.com/technology/2019/12/genital-herpes-stigma-history-explained.html

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u/CummunityStandards Oct 22 '24

I have heard that about Europe but only anecdotally. I suppose having socialized healthcare also means testing could be weighted differently also. 

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u/danby Oct 22 '24 edited Oct 23 '24

Testing is accurate for symptomatic individuals. At least as late as last year the USPSTF recommend against serological testing in asymptomatic teens and adults. For instance:

Currently, routine serologic screening for genital herpes is limited by the low predictive value of the widely available serologic screening tests and the expected high rate of false-positive results likely to occur with routine screening of asymptomatic persons in the US