The Journal of Urology
Volume 183, Issue 1 , Pages 21-26, January 2010

The Impact of Male Circumcision on HIV Transmission

  • Sean M. Doyle

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    • Nothing to disclose.
    • ,
  • James G. Kahn

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    • Nothing to disclose.
    • ,
  • Nap Hosang

      Affiliations

    • School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    • Nothing to disclose.
    • ,
  • Peter R. Carroll

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    • UCSF/Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence: Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, Box 1695, San Francisco, California 94143-1695 (telephone: 415-353-7098; FAX: 415-353-9932)
    • Financial interest and/or other relationship with the National Institutes of Health, Blue Wolf Communications, Varian Medical Systems and AstraZeneca.

Received 2 January 2009 published online 13 November 2009.

Purpose

Adult male circumcision is currently being implemented as an HIV prevention strategy worldwide. We reviewed the literature on adult male circumcision in the prevention of HIV.

Materials and Methods

A MEDLINE® search was used to identify current literature addressing HIV and male circumcision. The data from that literature were reviewed and summarized.

Results

Three randomized, controlled trials demonstrate that circumcising adult males reduces the incidence of HIV by 50% to 60%. Adult male circumcision does not seem to have an adverse impact on sexual function. Epidemiological and economic modeling suggests that adult male circumcision can potentially be a highly cost-effective strategy for HIV prevention.

Conclusions

Safe, high quality, low cost adult male circumcision services should be made available to regions with a high HIV incidence as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package.

Key Words: circumcision, male, HIV

Abbreviations and Acronyms: AE, adverse event, MC, male circumcision, RCT, randomized controlled trial, STI, sexually transmitted infection

 

 Editor's Note: This article is the first of 5 published in this issue for which category 1 CME credits can be earned. Instructions for obtaining credits are given with the questions on pages 404 and 405.

PII: S0022-5347(09)02462-8

doi:10.1016/j.juro.2009.09.030

The Journal of Urology
Volume 183, Issue 1 , Pages 21-26, January 2010

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