HPV vaccine may guard against other cancer
Published: May 18, 2007 at 3:30 PM
MIAMI, May 18 (UPI) -- A study in the British medical journal The Lancet says the new cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, may prevent other types of cancer.
The study, which involved more than 18,000 teens and young women in 24 countries, said Gardasil was effective in preventing vulval and vaginal cancers in teenage girls and young women not infected with the human papillomavirus, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Friday.
Gardasil was not effective in fighting precancerous lesions already formed in the vagina or vulva, but could prevent new infections and protect against exposure to other HPV strains, the newspaper said.
Dr. Nicholas Tranakas, medical director for cancer services with the
North Broward Hospital District, said the new research offers hope in
preventing cancer.
"Personally, I think the data is pretty overwhelming," Tranakas told the newspaper. "We know that we can prevent HPV infections by giving this vaccine. Society has to make the decision: Should it be mandated?"
The study was funded by Merck, the maker of Gardasil.
The study, which involved more than 18,000 teens and young women in 24 countries, said Gardasil was effective in preventing vulval and vaginal cancers in teenage girls and young women not infected with the human papillomavirus, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Friday.
Gardasil was not effective in fighting precancerous lesions already formed in the vagina or vulva, but could prevent new infections and protect against exposure to other HPV strains, the newspaper said.
Dr. Nicholas Tranakas, medical director for cancer services with the
North Broward Hospital District, said the new research offers hope in
preventing cancer.
"Personally, I think the data is pretty overwhelming," Tranakas told the newspaper. "We know that we can prevent HPV infections by giving this vaccine. Society has to make the decision: Should it be mandated?"
The study was funded by Merck, the maker of Gardasil.
© 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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