Circumcision protects against genital wart virus

Human papillomavirus has long been known as a cause of genital warts, but in recent years most reports have focused on its association with cervical cancer. The virus, which is transmitted sexually and by skin-to-skin contact, can also cause anal and penis cancers.

"Interventions such as circumcision may provide a low-cost method to reduce human papillomavirus infection," Dr. Anna R. Giuliano, from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, and colleagues conclude in a report in the International Journal of Cancer.

Using data from the Human papillomavirus In Men (HIM) study group, the investigators determined factors associated with human papillomavirus infection in 988 men, ages 18 to 70 years, living in Brazil, Mexico or the United States.

Human papillomavirus infection was strongly related to sexual behavior and circumcision, the investigators found.

"In this multi-national study where approximately 60 percent of study participants were un-circumcised, we found circumcision to be associated with a significantly reduced risk of...human papillomavirus," they report.

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