One Less Cervical Cancer

Over the past two years, one less campaign for Gardasil, the vaccine against HPV new protection against cervical cancer, has introduced the discussion on the human papilloma virus to the forefront, shining new light not only on the vaccine itself, but also the issues surrounding it.

HPV is ubiquitous. Nearly 50% of sexually active people will become infected with HPV at some point in their lives. There are about 20 million people with HPV infections in the United States, with 6.2 million new cases occurring each year. The most serious consequence of HPV infections is cancer of the cervix, but public knowledge of HPV is low - less than 50% of women had heard of HPV and its links to cervical cancer uterus.

It is essential that the public gains more knowledge on HPV and cancer of the cervix, especially in the current climate where the merits of the vaccine have been clouded by political rhetoric. Information on the relationship between HPV and cancer of the cervix, how the disease is common and who gets it, detection methods, other effects of the disease and the role and effectiveness of the vaccine must be tackled. The discussion of these issues will help guide decisions as medical professionals recommend this vaccination to a whole generation of 11-12 year old girls and boys may be in the future.

The relationship between HPV and cancer of the cervix: There are over 100 types of HPV. About 15 of them are "high risk" types that cause cervical cancer. HPV infections are more common in the younger population, with nearly 75% occurring in the 15-25 age group. Most HPV infections are "silent" - people who are infected are unaware they have and pass it freely to their sexual partners. The good news, however, is that the majority of these infections are self-limiting This means that almost 90% of them resolve on their own within 24 months without any problems. In a minority of people, however, the infections persist, either as a result of a high-risk sexual behavior (such as multiple partners and unprotected sex), or weakened immunity because of smoking, stress and long-term use of certain drugs like steroids. These factors can propel HPV infections to cause bodily precancerous and cancerous cervical. Over 99% of cancers of the cervix caused by HPV. HPV infections are necessary but not sufficient in themselves to cause cervical cancer.

Pap tests and cancer of the cervix: a Pap test detects early changes in cells of the cervix due to HPV or other effects, which if left untreated, can progress to cancer of the cervix. Fortunately with a Pap test program well organized in the United States, the incidence of cancer of the cervix has decreased by 75% over the last 50 years. Therefore, for women who receive regular Pap tests, the incidence of cervical cancer of the uterus is small. Currently in the United States, approximately 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer develop each year and about 4,000 deaths are due to this. Even if one wishes there were no cases of cervical cancers to reckon with, compared to the number of HPV infections occur each year, the relationship between HPV infections in cancer cervix is low. According to the American Cancer Society, four out of five women who died of cancer of the cervix has not had a Pap test during the previous five years. These figures show that the Pap test has been very successful in limiting the incidence of cancer of the cervix in this country.


Role vaccine against HPV to prevent cancer of the cervix: There are now two vaccines against HPV in the world to protect against the two main types of HPV that cause cancer. Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, has been available in the U.S. since June 2006. Cervarix, manufactured by Glaxo Smith Kline, is planned to be introduced in the United States in late 2008 or early 2009. Both vaccines target HPV types 16 and 18, which cause most cervical cancers of the uterus. HPV type 16 is responsible for some.