An expert panel convened by the American Cancer Society (ACS) recently recommended routine human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination for girls ages 11 to 12, catch-up vaccinations for females ages 13 to 18, and recommended that women ages 19 to 26 speak to their health-care provider about the vaccine’s potential benefits.
“This vaccine is a perfect example of how research studies are helping to reduce the nation’s cancer burden. Over time, this vaccine is expected to significantly reduce the number of women who develop cervical cancer,” said La Jollan Georgia Robins Sadler, Ph.D., recently appointed president-elect of the California division of the OACS. “In addition to helping the public to understand the vaccination guidelines, the American Cancer Society is equally concerned with emphasizing the continued need for early detection of cervical cancer via regular Pap smears. Pap smears will continue to save lives whenever prevention has not been possible.”
Sadler, a clinical professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and director of community outreach at the Rebecca and John Moores Cancer Center, spends a great deal of time encouraging people to participate in clinical trials. She was recognized for her efforts when she was named one of the “50 People to Watch” by San Diego Magazine in 2002.
The HPV vaccine has been tested in thousands of people in many countries around the world with no serious side effects. Most of those who receive the vaccine undergo brief soreness at the injection site. The FDA has determined that the vaccine is safe and effective for females aged 9 to 26.
“The vaccine will provide protection against the HPVs that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers and most (90 percent) of genital warts, in women who have not been exposed to the types of HPV that are in the vaccine,” said Rob Brown, director of marketing and communications for the San Diego Chapter of the American Cancer Society. “The vaccine also could protect against some other HPV-related cancers, including some anal, vulvar and vaginal cancers, as well as some head and neck cancers, although it will be many years before it can be proven to protect against these cancers.”
The ACS included boys as part of its study, testing them to see if the vaccine was safe for them and how their immune systems responded to it. The boys tested did have minimal response in their immune systems to the vaccine, but the ACS has yet to determine if it will protect them from transmitting HPV to their partners or preventing HPV infection or genital warts in boys.
“Cervical cancer incidence and mortality are disproportionately high among medically underserved women, as well as among certain racial/ethnic minorities who may not have access to regular Pap smear tests,” Brown said. “The vaccine has the potential to reduce these disparities, but only if vaccination is achieved among these groups.”
The vaccine does have other benefits, including the potential to substantially reduce the more than $3.5 billion spent annually on HPV-related cervical disease by preventing more that half a million cases of pre-cancerous lesions among women in the United States each year. It may also protect against other cancers, including anal, vaginal, as well some head and neck cancers.
For more information, see www.cancer.org.