Is there an HPV test for men????

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been told no, but have read many references online that one does exist. Does anyone know if there is an HPV test for men (specifically for high-risk strains) and where my husband could go and get one? Thanks!

Sadly no....and believe me I've checked. There exists highly sensitive PCR tests that can detect the smallest amount of HPV DNA inside of a cell, however you could test exactly one cell over and end up with a false negative. For this and probably other reasons the FDA hasn't seen fit to approve a clinical level test for men yet. Male Genitalia is hard to accurately collect a skin sample from due to the nature of the skin and the structure of the skin cells in that region. You may find companies advertising that they can accurately tell if males have HPV and they will gladly take your money and give you a kit or a cup to pee in and give you a result, but none of these tests have been determined by the FDA to be accurate..so....enter at your own risk with these.

Thanks for the info greatful. That is sucky. I hope a FDA approved test comes out soon!

You and me both..thankfully though serious health conditions for men with HPV seem to be rare. I think that if they included an HPV screen as part of a regular STD screen it would promote the vaccines they have out there for women and hopefully for men one day as well.

I just replied in another thread but I think it's important enough to say this again. I'm a male and I was just tested for HPV in a private clinic in Taipei.
They took samples of cells by swabbing the skin. non intrusive, doesn't hurt. Now they send it to the lab. They use PCR + Auto-sequencing method to identify the HPV genotype and virus burden. They said the test is highly sensitive (low false negatives). I have no clue why this test is not available in the west. it's ashame I would say.

This is in UroToday, 08 March 2005:

"BERKELEY, CA (UroToday Inc.) - Dr. Sergio Nicolau and colleagues from Sao Paulo, Brazil performed a study to determine the prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) in the male partners of HPV-infected women, as well as define the most affected site in genitalia and compare diagnostic methods for the detection of HPV infection in men. Their findings were published in the February 2005 edition of Urology.

They studied 50 male, stable, sexual partners of women confirmed to be HPV-infected. Subjects underwent two examinations. At the first visit, the subjects completed a standardized questionnaire, and had specimen brushings taken from six different areas in the anogenital region: glans, preupuce internal surface, distal urethra, prepuce external surface, scrotum, and anus. These brushing were tested for HPV DNA using the standard hc2 method. One week later the same subjects underwent peniscopy with acetic acid testing and all clinical and subclinical lesions were biopsied. The biopsied specimens were divided in two and underwent both histopathologic examination for the presence of koilocytotic cells, indicative of HPV infection, and HPV hc2 testing.

The authors concluded that HPV DNA testing is the best method to diagnose HPV infection. The use of the hc2 test on brushed specimens was more sensitive than the more traditional method of peniscopy, biopsy, and histopathologic examination. They recommend obtaining brushed material from the prepuce and distal urethra with HPV DNA testing as the optimal method for diagnosing HPV infection."

Interesting, thanks for posting.

They took 3 brushing samples for DNA HPV test from me - thigh+genitals, anus and lips. I never did any biopsy, but I understand it's pretty painful. This brushing test was a walk in the park.

I'm still waiting for the results.

Btw they were super nice and friendly, highly professional and the total cost of the whole thing was around 150$ which is something I would pay back home for just *talking* with a doctor.

Pavemagd:

A few questions... How did you find out about the test? Did you travel from the US just to have this done? When will you get your results back? Do you think the results are reliable? Do you know anyone else who has gone through this route? How are you getting your results (i.e. through a website, on paper, over the phone)?

I'm verrry interested. Please keep us updated.

Hi boonieboy,

A few questions... How did you find out about the test?

http://www.hpvsupport.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12298

After reading that post I contacted the guy who posted it, he was very nice and helped me to find the clinic and told me his personal experience.
I used "Google translate" to read the chinese in the clinic website, and then contacted the doctor there (a long time urologist specializing in STD).

Did you travel from the US just to have this done?

Not only, I scheduled some work while I was there, but if I had real evidence of HPV I would certainly travel there just to get treated.

When will you get your results back?

I got them. I did 3 tests, and they came back negative. Maybe I will post the results document here so you can see it.

Do you think the results are reliable?

Yes. Very much.

Do you know anyone else who has gone through this route?

Only the guy who told me about this place.

How are you getting your results (i.e. through a website, on paper, over the phone)?

They can call you, or you can schedule a meeting. I personally asked them to email me the results, and so they did.





[/b]

Hey pavemagd,

In regards to your posts about being tested for hpv, can you disclose the location/contact info of the private clinc in Taipei where you were tested for hpv? What is the address, website, email, and phone number of this private clinic, and what is the name of the doctor or nurse who treated you? Did you really travel all the way to Taiwan to have this testing done?