I wonder if it would at least help reduce the viral load and thus decrease the exposure and chance of a reoccurance? Anyone heard anything about this? Any trials? For HPV+ men?

There is a lot of information, both on the main OCF site and on these boards, about HPV.

As for the vaccine, do a search on the message boards (link at the top of each page) for postings that include HPV vaccine and are written by Gail Mac, whose husband is in an HPV vaccine trial at Johns Hopkins. According to what she posted here , the vaccine being tested is different from the Gardasil vaccine currently on the market (and targeted only to young women at this point).

There are a few others from these boards in the Hopkins trial as well; you'll find their responses in several of the threads where Gail has posted.

-- Leslie

Thalia,

Gail Mac is the expert but just in case she's on vacation or something here's my take:

The Garasil vaccine was developed to be most effective when given to a female who has not been exposed to the HPV virus. That vaccine was tested on 25,000 females who were given 3 shots each for a total of 75,000 and they were followed for 5 years without one complication except local irritations. Over 2,000,000 privately administered doses have been given with the same results. The FDA has approved the vaccine for females only in the 9 thru 26 year old group.

The vaccine was designed to be and has proven to be effective against 4 strains of HPV; 6 and 11 which cause 90% of genital warts and 16 and 18 which are Class One Carcinogens that are known to cause 70% of all cervical cancer and 60% of all Oral Pharyngeal cancer and cancers of the Larynx, Anus and Penis.

Gardasil is currently working on a similar vaccine for boys.

The vaccine trial that Hopkins is working on and Gail's husband and other are participating in (only men at this time) is being tested to see if it will boost the immune system's response to attack the HPV virus once it is already exposed in the body. The results are favorable and I understand that they next plan to test females.

According to Gail Mac, even if all goes perfectly, we may not see the vaccine available for 10 years. I tried to get into the final phase with Hopkins but I was #12 on a 6 man list. Again Gail Mac knows volumns more than I do so hopefully she will improve my post.

I know that I don't have this correct, because I received the explanation a good while ago, but the Gardasil fights the HPV virus in females because the female tract is lined with..you guessed it....squamous cells! Squamous cells are the cells that line most moist tracts in the body. The male doesn't have the same system. If he carries the virus, it is in a different place and in a different form that is not susceptible to the Gardisil. The anatomy of males and females are different....duh!....so while we think that we should be giving the boys the Gardisil like the girls, that is not the case. They might be able to use the same science and develop a vaccine for males, but it will have to be different.

I think that the Gardisil prevents the virus from establishing itself in the squamous tissue, rather than killing it after it is there. That is why you give it to girls who (you hope!) are not sexually active yet, before they can have been exposed to the virus.

I wish I remembered better what I was told. sorry..this is pretty sketchy.

August - every opening to your body is lined with squamous cells, that would include the mouth, the vagina, the penis, and the anus.... It is the same virus in males and females. The vaccine only works in presexual individuals who have never been exposed to the virus. A different vaccine is in clinical trials for people who have been exposed, and that is a decade away. The existing one has to go back through the FDA for use on boys, and was only done on girls in the initial clinical trials. This has nothing to do with boys being different or the virus being different. Boys are carriers of the same virus and the same vaccine is being tested on them.

Males are able to recieve the vaccine ..IF they can find a provider willing to give it to them AND ( of course right ) They pay out of pocket in most cases. Many Insurance companies arent covering the vaccinations for males yet as it is being marketed for women!

However as Brian stated ...HPV is HPV in both men and women. Trust me ..I worked for Planned Parenthood for 2 years and it affects males and females BOTH ..Only Men dont have a cervix to get cancer in . Now they are finding that HPV also causes a certian Type of LUNG cancer as well ! GO figure. I dont remember the exact name of the type of cancer yet it forms on the edges on the lungs opposed to near the Brahcia as SCC does. Interesting huh ?

Another question would be why not give it to non-monogamous sexually active persons, in the hope that even though they were already active, they might not have contracted HPV yet.....just a thought.

Remember I am NOT a doctor so I may be totally wrong, but...

Firstly,I don't know if a doctor would be willing to jeopardize their malpractice insurance by using a drup in a non FDA approved way.

Secondly, the Gardasil vaccine works by exposing the body to a synthetic HPV virus so that the immune system will produce antibodies that will protect against a real HPV virus invasion. Once the body has already been exposed to the virus, the vaccine is ineffective which is why Johns Hopkins is trying to develop a treatment for a previously exposed body. Others have tried to develop a similar vaccine but have failed according to my RO at Moffitt so lets hope JH is successful.

my 2