HPV vaccination should be considered in men aged 65 or younger who have sex with men, to cut their risk of anal cancer, a leading sexual health researcher says.

The advice follows a longitudinal study of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Sydney, which showed a high prevalence of high-risk HPV infection.

Those living with HIV and who reported receptive anal intercourse, regardless of condom use, had the greatest risk, said study author Professor Andrew Grulich, head of the HIV epidemiology and prevention program at UNSW Sydney’s Kirby Institute.

“The virus is so easily transmitted and so common [in MSM] that it does give rise to consideration of the need for HPV vaccination to prevent infection and future anal cancer,” he told Australian Doctor.