Hispanic males had the highest incidence of HPV-associated penile cancers and were diagnosed at later stages of disease compared with non-Hispanic White counterparts, according to data presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium.
Researchers from Rutgers University School of Public Health and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study in order to gain a better understanding of health outcomes of male HPV-associated anogenital cancers, looking specifically at racial/ethnic minority groups.
The study included 39,601 males diagnosed with HPV-associated invasive penile and anorectal cancers from 2005-2016 in the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Data revealed that Hispanic males had the highest age-adjusted incidence of penile cancers. Additionally, Hispanic males had higher odds of late-stage penile cancer diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.31), as did non-Hispanic Black males (aOR=1.22; 95% CI, 1.07-1.39).
Non-Hispanic Black males had the highest age-adjusted incidence of anorectal cancers, and also had higher odds of late-stage diagnosis (aOR=1.25, 95% CI, 1.14-1.36). Non-Hispanic Other males also had higher odds of late diagnosis (aOR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66).
Compared with all other racial/ethnic groups, non-Hispanic Black males had the lowest cumulative and mean survival for both penile (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.49) and anorectal cancer (aHR=1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.42).
The researchers noted that adjusting for treatment attenuated these association but did not eliminate the observed cancer-specific mortality.
“The findings highlight the necessity of interventions to increase HPV vaccination rates, early detection, and treatment of anogenital cancers in males, particularly among men of color,” the researchers wrote in their abstract.
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