San Francisco: Gay Men Taking Women's HPV Vaccine To Ward Off Anal, Penile Cancer

A recent development in San Francisco has Gay Men taking Gardasil, the HPV vaccine for women.

Gardasil is the controversial vaccine that protects against certain strains of the human papilloma virus, which can cause cervical cancer.

Since Gardasil got FDA's approval last June, thousands of girls and young women have gotten at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.

According to Jason Riggs, spokesman for San Francisco's STOP AIDS Project, some gay and bisexual men are asking their doctors for the vaccine in the hope that it will ward off anal and penile cancer which are also caused by HPV.

"The prevalence of anal cancer among gay and bisexual men is very high. So that's why some people are looking at this as a possible preventive cure for anal cancer and HPV that causes anal cancer," Riggs said.

Anal cancer is more popular amongst the gay and bisexual population, in fact it occurs at a rate 35 times higher than that of the general population. It's even higher among those who are infected with HIV.

A clinic run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health is now offering Gardasil and some men have been paying the $350 for the standard three doses.

No one is sure about the effectiveness of the vaccine in men.

"It would be nice to see some published data that the vaccine works in men," said Dr. Jeff Klausner, the well known "Dr. K" of Internet fame who is also in charge of prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases in San Francisco.

According to Klausner the difference between the male and female anatomy makes it difficult to assume that if Gardasil works in women it will also work in men.