HPV awareness and anal cancer prevention among sexual minority men living with HIV in Nigeria: insights from an affirming clinical setting

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

Sexual minority men (SMM) living with HIV face elevated anal cancer risk, and SMM-affirming HIV clinics are positioned as entry points for prevention. The study evaluated human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge, vaccine acceptability, and whether duration living with HIV related to awareness of anal cancer symptoms. A cross-sectional clinic survey in Abuja used descriptive statistics and multivariable negative binomial regression.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript | | HHS Public Access
Author manuscript
Sex Health. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2026 April 09. | | --- | --- | Published in final edited form as: Sex Health. 2026 April 09; 23(2): . doi:10.1071/SH25193 . HPV awareness and anal cancer prevention among sexual minority men living with HIV in Nigeria: insights from an affirming clinical setting Connor R. VolpiA,B,* , John ChamaC, Ruxton AdebiyiC, Jumoke A. AigoroC, Yerima Jibrin BawaC, Kazeem E. KolawoleC, Uchenna OnonakuC, Naomi AyubaC, Ashley ShuttB, Abayomi AkaD, Stephen E. GoldstoneE, Patrick DakumC, Joel M. PalefskyF, Sylvia AdebajoB,C, Karin E. TobinA, Rebecca G. NowakB AJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. B Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. C Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria. D International Centre for Advocacy on Rights to Health, Abuja, Nigeria. EIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. F University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Abstract Background. Sexual minority men (SMM) living with HIV face an elevated risk of anal cancer, and SMM-affirming HIV clinics serve as vital entry points for cancer prevention. We evaluated human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge, vaccine acceptability and whether time living with HIV was associated with anal cancer symptom awareness. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at an HIV clinic offering anal cancer prevention in Abuja, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize HPV knowledge and vaccine acceptability. Multivariable negative binomial regression evaluated the number of anal cancer symptoms correctly reported using adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) . Results. Among 249 SMM living with HIV, 20 .5% reported having heard of HPV. Fewer than 20% correctly identified key anal cancer symptoms, including anal bleeding (15.7%) and a lump or mass in the anus (16.9%). Time living with HIV was initially associated with anal cancer symptom awareness, but not after adjustment (aPR 1.02, 95% CI 0.98–1.07) . Other independent predictors of anal cancer symptom awareness were anal cancer screening (aPR 1.51, 95% CI 1.15–1.97) and knowing HPV vaccine can prevent anal cancer (aPR 1.52, 95% CI 1.18–1.98) . Despite low HPV awareness, 93.6% of participants reported willingness to receive HPV vaccine. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) . *Correspondence to: Connor R. Volpi, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA, [cvolpi@ihv.umaryland.edu](cvolpi@ihv.umaryland.edu). Conflicts of interest. The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest. Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Author Manuscript Volpi et al. Page 2 Conclusion. Integrating cancer prevention services into SMM-affirming HIV care may offer an opportunity to strengthen HPV-related knowledge and reduce cancer disparities. Keywords anal cancer prevention; anal cancer screening; health literacy; healthcare access; HIV-associated malignancies; HPV awareness; HPV vaccination; Nigeria; sexual minority men; stigma-free HIV care Introduction Sexual minority men (SMM) living with HIV face a disproportionately high risk of anal squamous-cell cancer (ASCC), 1 a malignancy strongly associated with persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.2 The incidence of anal cancer in SMM living with HIV is reported to be approximately 100 times greater than that in the general population.3 Persistent HPV infection, particularly with oncogenic strains, such as HPV-16 and HPV-18, significantly increases the likelihood of developing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, the anal cancer precursor.4 Left un

FAQs

What was the study’s primary focus regarding HPV and anal cancer prevention?

The study assessed HPV knowledge and vaccine acceptability among sexual minority men living with HIV, and examined whether time living with HIV was associated with awareness of anal cancer symptoms.

How was anal cancer symptom awareness measured and analyzed?

A cross-sectional survey at an Abuja HIV clinic was analyzed using descriptive statistics for knowledge and acceptability, and multivariable negative binomial regression with adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for symptom awareness.

What factors were associated with greater awareness of anal cancer symptoms?

Awareness was independently associated with anal cancer screening and knowing that HPV vaccination can prevent anal cancer.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle