April 11, 2002
Male Circumcision, Penile Human Papillomavirus Infection, and Cervical Cancer
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It is uncertain whether male circumcision reduces the risk of penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and of cervical cancer in a man's female partner. The authors studied women and their male partners enrolled in seven case–control studies of cervical carcinoma in situ and cervical cancer in five countries in Europe, South America, and Asia. Circumcised men were significantly less likely than uncircumcised men to have penile HPV infection. Women whose partners had six or more lifetime sexual partners were less likely to have cervical cancer if their partners were circumcised than if they were uncircumcised.
These data suggest that male circumcision may reduce the risk of penile HPV infection in men and the risk of cervical cancer in female partners of sexually promiscuous men.
