In the News: A Cervical Cancer Vaccine

It’s an exciting breakthrough: an experimental vaccine that’s 100% effective in blocking the two most common viruses that cause cervical cancer.

Even though the true impact of the vaccine will only be visible in years to come, Jacqueline Evans, DO, Cancer Care for Women, is among the healthcare professionals enthusiastic about its potential benefits.

“About 35-40% of women who have cervical cancer will die from the disease,” Dr. Evans says. Annually, 3,700 women in the U.S. die from cervical cancer. “That number could be drastically reduced with widespread use of the new vaccine, Gardasil, developed by Merck & Co.,” she says.

“Its real impact will be felt in low-resource countries where cervical cancer is still a leading killer of women at young ages,” adds Elizabeth Horenkamp, MD, Hematology/Oncology Physicians of Lancaster, a Lancaster General Medical Group practice.

“It’s critical that cervical cancer is caught in the early stages,” Dr. Horenkamp said. “Unfortunately, developing countries don’t have the resources we have or see it as high a priority. But if one day an inexpensive vaccine could prevent a major medical expense and improve survival rates, its overall global impact will be huge.”

The vaccine is effective in stopping only two of the 100-plus types of human papilloma virus (HPV). But those two strains, HPV16 and 18, are accountable for about 70% of cervical cancer cases. “That means it will be possible to contract other strains of the virus, even if vaccinated. So women will still need annual pap tests for cervical cancer,” Dr. Evans says.

The vaccine will be administered in three doses: the initial dose, two months later and six months later. Dr. Evans says it’s still too early to know if a booster will be necessary to maintain the vaccine’s effectiveness.

Who Gets the Vaccine?

“A lot of women have asked me questions about the vaccine,” Dr. Evans says. “Some thought it was a treatment or a cure. Unfortunately, once the body has been exposed to the HPV virus, the vaccine will have no effect.”

By the time they’re adults, 75% of women have been exposed to HPV. So in order for the vaccine to protect an adult woman, she’ll need to receive the vaccine in pre-adolescence, ideally between the ages of 9-12.

Once approved by the FDA, vaccination will be voluntary. So it will be up to the parents to decide to have their child vaccinated. It’ll be another 10-20 years, when those patients first vaccinated reach adulthood, before a significant drop in abnormal pap tests and cervical cancer cases will be noticeable.

“But for adult women, regular screening and testing will continue to make cervical cancer preventable and one of the most treatable forms of cancer,” says Dr. Horenkamp. “When caught early enough, surgery and radiation/chemotherapy treatments have a high survival rate,” she says.

“Fortunately, we don’t see cervical cancer very much anymore, thanks to the many advances in screening and treatments,” Dr. Horenkamp says. “It wasn’t that long ago we didn’t know what caused cervical cancer. Now we’re on the verge of a vaccine that will prevent it.”  

Prevention for Today

While the vaccine will protect future generations from the disease, women can still take precautions now to reduce their chances of contracting the virus. Monogamy and condom use are the two most effective methods of protection. Living a healthy lifestyle is also important. “Vitamin deficiencies and smoking can put you at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer,” says Dr. Evans.

And annual gynecological exams and pap tests give doctors the chance to catch any problems in time.