New Cervical Cancer Vaccine Treatment Shows Promise

April 17th, 2006

A new cancer vaccine still in the experimental stages appears to provide protection against several strains of cervical cancer for up to five years. Results of a study of 1,100 women to test the efficacy of the vaccine Cervarix were published in the April 6 issue of The Lancet.
At 4.5 years, the vaccine was still protecting all women who received the vaccine, according to study author Dr. Diane Harper. Cervarix is designed to protect against human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18, responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers.

The vaccine seems to offer similar protection against HPV types 45 and 31, which can also trigger cervical cancer, the second most common malignant disease in women worldwide. Spread by sexual contact, human papilloma viruses are the main cause of cervical cancer.

Women taking part in the study received either three doses of Cervarix or a placebo. Those who got the vaccine had no more long-term side effects than those getting the placebo injection.

Cervarix is yet to be approved for general use on the market. Preliminary results show from antibody levels tested that protection remains unchanged nearly five years later. Further investigation of the new vaccine will take place before the vaccine is approved for widespread use.   

A similar vaccine called Gardasil is awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Gardasil is thought to protect against HPV 16 and 18 as well as HPV 6 and 11, which account for about 90% of genital warts.

Gardasil could be on the market later this year and would likely be given to women in their late teens or early 20s. Cervical cancer is often diagnosed at a younger age than any other cancers.

Source:  MedicineNet.com

Also see the latest news and discoveries for Gardasil 

 

Entry Filed under: Cervical Cancer,Cervical Cancer,HPV