For years, the papillomavirus was perceived almost automatically as a women's medical issue. The public discourse, medical advocacy, and screening tests focused mainly on the cervix and the link between the virus and cervical cancer. Women learned to recognize Pap smears, understand the importance of the vaccine, and know that the virus carries real medical significance.
But among men, the reality is entirely different.
Many remain certain that the papillomavirus is completely unrelated to them, or at most poses a risk to their female partners. However, experts now warn that this is a dangerous misconception, at a time when the rate of head and neck cancer cases linked to the virus is continuously rising worldwide.
In Israel, approximately 600 people are diagnosed each year with head and neck cancer, and in the United States, this already amounts to about 60,000 new cases annually. According to the 2025 American Cancer Report, while many types of cancer actually show a decline or stabilization in their incidence, head and neck cancers continue to rise at a rate of about 0.7 percent each year. According to the data, the increase is mainly linked to the growth in cancer cases related to the papillomavirus.
"I see the same surprised look time and time again"
Dr. Ortal Ben-Aharon, a specialist in oral, facial, and maxillofacial surgery and director of the HPV clinic at Ichilov, says that despite the worrying data, awareness among men in Israel is still very low.
"For years, the papillomavirus was automatically classified as a women's problem," she explains. "Women know to ask, know to get tested, and know that there is a direct link between the virus and cancer. But men? Most of them are still certain that it has nothing to do with them at all."
In Israel, with more than ten million residents, there is currently only one single clinic that allows men to undergo dedicated tests for the early detection of lesions in the oral cavity and pharynx related to the papillomavirus.
Since the clinic opened at Ichilov less than ten months ago, about 410 patients have been tested there. Out of 390 who received results, 24 tested positive for the dangerous strains of the virus. Three of them are women with a history of cervical HPV, and 21 are unvaccinated men. About half of these men had already suffered from condylomas in the past.
"These data reflect a deep systemic failure in awareness and policy," says Dr. Ben-Aharon. According to her, she repeatedly meets young, seemingly healthy men who are completely surprised to discover that they too are at risk.
"I see the same surprised look time and time again. Men who never imagined they could contract the virus, carry it for years, and in certain cases also develop significant diseases, including head and neck, anal, and penile cancer."
An illusion of security among men
Some of the patients arrive for testing only after their partner was diagnosed with HPV, while others turn to it only after the appearance of worrying symptoms.
"Many of them share that they asked to be vaccinated in the past and received an answer that there is no need for it after the age of 25," she says. "Others did not receive basic instructions at all, even when their partner tested positive for the virus."
According to her, unlike women who are routinely referred for screening tests at the health funds, men receive almost no information about the possibility of being tested. "There is no organized track for them, there are no clear guidelines for family physicians, and there is no broad public advocacy," she explains. "In most cases, there is also no one to bring the risk to their attention."
The result, according to her, is an illusion of security. "If nobody talks about it, men probably assume it is not truly dangerous. But the medical reality tells an entirely different story."
"Talking about preventive medicine while half the population is left out of the conversation"
In recent years, Western countries have recorded a consistent increase in head and neck cancer cases related to HPV, mainly among relatively young men, without classic risk factors such as heavy smoking or high alcohol consumption.
The central problem, explains Dr. Ben-Aharon, is that the initial symptoms often do not arouse suspicion at all.
"It can start with a small sore that does not heal, prolonged hoarseness, pain when swallowing, blood in the saliva, or a lump in the neck," she says. "These are non-specific symptoms that many tend to ignore for long months, because nobody even thinks about the possibility that this is a cancer related to the papillomavirus."
According to her, when there is no awareness, even the initial warning signs are not identified in time. She emphasizes that men are not just a link in the chain of infection, but patients in their own right, with a tangible medical risk.
Even around the vaccine, she says, a misleading discourse has formed over the years. "Some men think the vaccine is only meant to protect the female partner," she explains. "In practice, it is a basic medical preventive measure aimed at reducing the risk of future diseases in both women and men alike."
Since last September, the vaccine against the papillomavirus is given at no cost also to individuals aged 18 to 26 who were not vaccinated in school.
According to Dr. Ben-Aharon, a profound conceptual shift is required today in the healthcare system. "Just as we succeeded in instilling a culture of early detection and periodic follow-up among women, we must start acting similarly with men," she says.
According to her, this must include broad public advocacy, training physicians to proactively raise the issue, expanding testing options, and making early diagnosis accessible across the country alongside encouraging vaccination.
"As long as men do not receive information, do not get vaccinated, and do not understand that the virus can also endanger their lives, the diagnosis will continue to arrive too late," she concludes. "It is impossible to talk about preventive medicine when half the population is left out of the conversation."