Study: More Benefits Seen by Gardasil HPV Vaccine

Gardasil, a vaccine used for preventing infections with human papilloma virus types 6, 11, 16, and 18 may also offer women significant protection against other related viral strains, reported researchers at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy held in Chicago, Illinois (USA).

Darron Brown, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, presented the results of a human the clinical trial study where 9,000 women participated.

When compared to the placebo group women who had received the vaccine had very few cases of HPV types 31, 33, 35, 52, and 58 (who are all related to HPV 16 which is the target of the gardasil vaccine). In addition, there was a similar reduction in pre-cancerous lesions caused by HPV types 39, 45, and 59, which are related to HPV type 18.

More specifically, the trial randomized 4,616 women to a three-dose regimen of Gardasil and 4,675 to placebo. The vaccine had almost a 100% success preventing infection with human papilloma virus types 6, 11, 16, and 18. This is really important and good news since HPV types 6 and 11 are responsible for about 90% of genital warts and types 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of the cancers and pre-cancerous lesions associated with HPV infection, the study says.

According to one of the attendees who commented in the public discussion part of the presentation the study offers strong support that Gardasil. Overall, the vaccine seems to be 35% to 40% effective in preventing infection with human papilloma virus strains that cause cancer.

More than 100 different human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been identified. As with rabbit Some HPV types can cause cancer, most notably cervical cancer. About a dozen HPV types (including types 16, 18, 31 and 45) are called "high-risk" types because they can lead to cervical cancer, as well as anal cancer, vulvar cancer, and penile cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), by the age of 50 more than 80% of American women will have contracted at least one strain of genital HPV. All women are encouraged to get a yearly pap smear solely to detect cellular abnormalities caused by HPV.

Readers should be aware that as with many of the presentations that are made at scientific meetings results must be deemed as preliminary until peers (scientists) revise the data and allow them to be published at scientific meetings.

Sources:

Brown et al 2007. HPV Type 6/11/16/18 Vaccine: First Analysis of Cross-Protection against Persistent Infection, Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN), and Adenocarcinoma In Situ (AIS) Caused by Oncogenic HPV Types in Addition to 16/18. Interscience Conference on Animicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Sept.17-20, 2007. Chicago Illinois (USA)

STD facts. HPV Vaccine Questions and Answers. URL: http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm