Wrong age group receiving cancer drug
Published: Feb. 21, 2007 at 10:26 PM
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Several U.S. medical experts say the cervical cancer drug, Gardasil, is being prescribed to the wrong age group for it to be effective.
Based on current cancer data, the experts said the trend of inoculating preteen girls with the cancer-virus vaccine may ultimately do little to protect them from cervical cancer, the Washington Times said.
The incubation period for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer is 10 to 15 years, and the average patient is 47, the newspaper said.
Taking that data into account, the five-year effectiveness of Gardasil will end long before a patient is at risk, if the drug is administered to preteen girls.
"It is a delicate balancing act," said American Cancer Society official Debbie Saslow. "If the vaccine is given at too young an age, it may wear off. Yet if it is given too late, it won't work."
The report comes as several U.S. states consider requiring HPV vaccinations for girls ages 11 to 13 who attend public school.
Based on current cancer data, the experts said the trend of inoculating preteen girls with the cancer-virus vaccine may ultimately do little to protect them from cervical cancer, the Washington Times said.
The incubation period for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer is 10 to 15 years, and the average patient is 47, the newspaper said.
Taking that data into account, the five-year effectiveness of Gardasil will end long before a patient is at risk, if the drug is administered to preteen girls.
"It is a delicate balancing act," said American Cancer Society official Debbie Saslow. "If the vaccine is given at too young an age, it may wear off. Yet if it is given too late, it won't work."
The report comes as several U.S. states consider requiring HPV vaccinations for girls ages 11 to 13 who attend public school.
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This undated NASA image shows two galaxies that are slowly colliding and possibly, in hundreds of millions of years, only one galaxy will remain. Although it is likely that no stars in the two galaxies will directly collide, the gas, dust and ambient magnetic fields do interact directly. These galaxies, part of the vast Hydra-Centaurus supercluster of galaxies, spans over 100 thousand light-years across and is located about 100 million light-years away. (UPI Photo/NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage)
NASA image shows galaxies that will slowly collide
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