TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in HPV immunity among adults without cancer
AU - Windon, Melina J.
AU - Waterboer, Tim
AU - Hillel, Alexander T.
AU - Chien, Wade
AU - Best, Simon
AU - Stewart, Charles
AU - Akst, Lee
AU - Troy, Tanya
AU - Bender, Noemi
AU - Miles, Brett
AU - Ryan, William R.
AU - Mandal, Rajarsi
AU - Pitman, Karen
AU - Eisele, David W.
AU - Fakhry, Carole
AU - D’Souza, Gypsyamber
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019/8/3
Y1 - 2019/8/3
N2 - The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers is rising, particularly among men. Whether observed epidemiological differences in sex are explained by differences in sexual exposure and/or by immune response is unclear. In this cross-sectional, multi-institutional study, seroprevalence of antibodies to HPV L1 capsid antigen was compared by patient characteristics among 374 adult patients without cancer. A significantly higher seroprevalence was observed among women compared with men for HPV16 (OR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.21–7.21) and HPV18 (OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.06–7.60) L1 antibodies. This difference persisted for HPV16 after controlling for lifetime and recent sexual behavior. After controlling for sex, HPV16 and HPV18 L1 seroprevalence was also significantly associated with higher number of lifetime (HPV16 OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08; HPV18 OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08) and recent (HPV16 OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.15–2.07; HPV18 OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.07–1.82) oral but not vaginal sexual partners. These findings potentially suggest a more robust immune response to HPV16/18 among women compared with men that may not be explained by differences in number of sexual partners, and thereby presumably HPV exposure. The independent association of HPV16/18 L1 seroprevalence with higher number of oral sexual partners suggests a possible role for site of mucosal exposure in the HPV immune response.
AB - The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers is rising, particularly among men. Whether observed epidemiological differences in sex are explained by differences in sexual exposure and/or by immune response is unclear. In this cross-sectional, multi-institutional study, seroprevalence of antibodies to HPV L1 capsid antigen was compared by patient characteristics among 374 adult patients without cancer. A significantly higher seroprevalence was observed among women compared with men for HPV16 (OR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.21–7.21) and HPV18 (OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.06–7.60) L1 antibodies. This difference persisted for HPV16 after controlling for lifetime and recent sexual behavior. After controlling for sex, HPV16 and HPV18 L1 seroprevalence was also significantly associated with higher number of lifetime (HPV16 OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08; HPV18 OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08) and recent (HPV16 OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.15–2.07; HPV18 OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.07–1.82) oral but not vaginal sexual partners. These findings potentially suggest a more robust immune response to HPV16/18 among women compared with men that may not be explained by differences in number of sexual partners, and thereby presumably HPV exposure. The independent association of HPV16/18 L1 seroprevalence with higher number of oral sexual partners suggests a possible role for site of mucosal exposure in the HPV immune response.
KW - Human papillomavirus
KW - head and neck neoplasms
KW - seroepidemiologic studies
KW - sexual partners
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U2 - 10.1080/21645515.2019.1568157
DO - 10.1080/21645515.2019.1568157
M3 - Article
C2 - 30650013
AN - SCOPUS:85063080007
SN - 2164-5515
VL - 15
SP - 1935
EP - 1941
JO - Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics
JF - Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics
IS - 7-8
ER -
