Male circumcision tied to lower cervical Ca risk. (Lower Risk of HPV Infection in Men).

Circumcision may reduce men's risk of penile human papillomavirus infection and moderately decrease their female partners' chances of developing cervical cancer, according to a recent study

The findings suggest that circumcision is an important cofactor in human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer, reported Dr. Xavier Castellsague of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, and his associates in the International Agency for Research on Cancer Multicenter Cervical Cancer Study Group.

Of 847 uncircumcised men, 166 (19.6%) had HPV infection, compared with 16 of 292 (5.5%) circumcised men, a statistically significant difference. Men with self-reported circumcision had an adjusted risk ratio for penile HPV infection of 0.37; the adjusted risk ratio among those with clinician-assessed circumcision was 0.44.

Having six or more sexual partners was significantly associated with increased rates of penile HPV. Men who had had at least six sexual partners were twice as likely to be infected as were men with fewer partners.

Removal of the foreskin and its relatively vulnerable mucosal inner lining may play a role in keeping HPV infection rates lower among circumcised men, the researchers suggested ...