Vaccine : comes june. 9th. Ever if you have already been diagnosed the vaccine can prevent infection from other strains
hpv, cancer and the vaccine
here are some questions and answers about hpv and cancer.
What is human papillomavirus?
It's the name of a group of about 100 viruses or strains; about 30 of which are sexually transmitted and can infect the genital area in men and women. It's commonly called hpv.
Why worry?
Because more than half of sexually active men and women have been infected with hpv, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.
What does it do?
Most people clear the virus from their body in about 19 months, without knowing they were infected, according to jed delmore, director of the division of gynecologic oncology at the university of kansas school of medicine-wichita.
But it can cause cancer, in men and women. It's blamed for more than 99 percent of cervical cancer cases. It also can cause genital warts.
How is it diagnosed?
Most women are diagnosed on the basis of abnormal pap smears. Genital warts are diagnosed by visual inspection. A dna test can show the presence of hpv antibodies, but it's not commercially available.
What do the vaccines do?
One protects against four of the hpv forms associated with cancer, the other against two. They could prevent about 90 percent of cervical cancers.
Who would be vaccinated?
A food and drug administration committee has recommended it for girls and women 9 to 26 years old. It would be given at a young age because once a person has been infected, he or she develops protective antibodies, so the vaccine wouldn't be effective.
What's the controversy?
First, some people don't think it's a good idea because it might seem to send the message that it's ok to be sexually active at a very young age.
Second, it's expensive: the vaccine expected to be approved first would cost $300 to $500 for the three shots, given over six months. And, delmore says, it's likely that those who are most at risk wouldn't get the shots because of the cost. They also aren't as likely to get regular screenings, which means problems may not be caught early enough to treat effectively.
Delmore says making the vaccine universal could be beneficial: in addition to reducing the infection rate, it could cut the rate of cervical cancer and reduce the number of abnormal pap smears, biopsies and other tests.
Does it last forever?
That's not known. Both vaccines seem to be effective for at least five years, but no one knows yet whether a booster might be required.
Why isn't it recommended for boys and men?
Someday it might be, since they also can suffer ill effects from hpv and can transmit it to women. But so far, the research on its effectiveness in men isn't complete.
