Pap smears for men: a vision of the future?
BACKGROUND
Anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) rarely receives as much publicity as its neighbouring orifice, the cervix. As in the cervix, intraepithelial neoplasias are precursors to cancer in the anal canal. AIN and cervical interstitial neoplasia (CIN) undergo dysplasia as a consequence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Since the advent of screening with the Pap smear in CIN, cervical cancer has plummeted to a fifth of its initial incidence. Anal cancer, however, has been rising, with a predilection for human immunodeficiency virus-infected men. HPV causes a squamous epithelial dysplasia and converts healthy tissue into AINs of increasing severity until anal cancer manifests.


METHODS
This article describes a clinical case of anogenital HPV infection refractory to medical and surgical therapy. It also describes an effective surgical excision technique associated with a good cosmetic outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
The paper concludes by briefly discussing the implications of a national screening programme against AIN in the future.
Oon
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SF
Department of Colorectal Surgery, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. sheng-fei.oon@ucd.ie
Hanly
A
A
Winter
D C
DC
D000328:Adult; D001004:Anus Diseases / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D001005:Anus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections; D012008:Recurrence; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000821:virology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000821:virology