Gynecologic Health

A Vaccine to Wipe Out Cervical Cancer

"These results show that even if you got infected while receiving the vaccine, you were protected [against cervical cancer]," explains Ault.

Preventing a Killer
Cervical cancer was once the most common cause of cancer death for American women. But the increased use of Pap screening has helped to reduce the death rate by 75 percent, as the test can detect precancerous changes in the lining of the cervix at a stage where the cancer is most curable. Still, it is estimated that over 10,000 cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year, resulting in over 3,000 deaths

Any sexually active woman who has sexual contact with an infected partner is at risk for acquiring HPV, no matter how much protection is used. Even routine condom use does not decrease this risk, as the virus is spread through either through contact with the skin or mucous membranes of an infected partner. An HPV infection may cause visible genital warts, but an infection may be present even without such warning signs.

As there are over 100 strains of the HPV virus and only a few are known to be cancerous, most cases of HPV will never develop into cervical cancer. In fact, infections generally clear up by themselves, according to Laurie Markowitz, a medical epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control.

Because HPV may go unnoticed for several years, the American Cancer Society recommends that all women begin getting annual Pap smears as soon as they become sexually active, but no later than 21 years of age. If three normal Pap smears have been taken by the time a woman is 30, she may go three years between tests.

The Vaccine in Practice
Even if Gardasil is approved, a woman who is vaccinated against HPV would still need routine Pap smears, says Ault. Since the vaccine only eliminates the biggest cause of cervical cancers, other cases are still possible. "But you would expect a huge decrease in the number of abnormal Pap smears," predicts Ault.

Although some questions remain as to how popular a vaccine against a sexually transmitted disease will be, a study published in September 2005 in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that up to 80 percent of parents were in favor of having their child vaccinated against treatable sexually transmitted infections, like HPV. (90 percent were in favor of vaccinations against HIV and herpes, STDs that have no cure). And in a recent survey, only 11 percent of doctors felt that immunizing against the virus would encourage promiscuous sexual behavior.

But because HPV is so closely tied to cervical cancer, Ault feels that those who "make the connection between HPV and cervical cancer," would be more likely to approve of the vaccine for their children, as then the infection would be perceived as "more serious."

"Parents want to protect their children against harm," said Ault.

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