HPV vaccine could drastically reduce cervical
and other cancers globally
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Three of our area’s members of the General Assembly have sponsored
legislation to prevent the RI Department of Health from mandating that children
be vaccinated to prevent cancer. They are: Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi, Rep. Justin Price and Senator Elaine Morgan. None of these legislators should be
allowed to participate in any anti-cancer fund-raiser since they OPPOSE this
practical measure to PREVENT cancer in the first place. That’s my “cancer
awareness” message to readers. – Will Collette
Cervical cancer affects more than half a million women and
causes more than a quarter of a million deaths each year globally. Almost all
cervical cancers result from a human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection.
HPV infections cause cancers in other parts of the body, too.
But the latest HPV vaccine could prevent most infections -- and millions of
cancers -- worldwide, according to an article by Cosette Wheeler, PhD, and her
collaborators.
The
article describing the HPV vaccine and strategies to overcome issues with its
use was published online by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
 |
| Blake Filippi (right) should be ashamed to wear that teeshirt |
ASCO shared a print of the article with the 30,000 attendees at
its Annual Meeting this year. Annual Meeting attendees included top oncologists
from around the country and the world.
Wheeler is an international HPV expert,
a University of New Mexico Regents' Professor and a member of The University of
New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She and the other authors of the
article served as expert panel members for the Primary Prevention of Cervical
Cancer: ASCO Resource-Stratified Guideline.
The HPV vaccine could prevent up to 90
percent of HPV-related cancers worldwide, according to the
article.
The authors report that women in high-income countries or
regions are far more likely to survive a cervical cancer diagnosis.
But even within high-income countries, those women in
lower-income regions get cervical cancer more frequently and fewer of them
survive it.
And, this disparity applies to other HPV-related cancers in
women and men, including other genital cancers, anal cancers, and cancers of
the mouth and throat.
The
HPV vaccine can prevent HPV infection if the vaccine is given before exposure
to any of the HPV types that the vaccine protects against. Different formulas
of the HPV vaccine protect against different types of HPV.
Only two types, HPV16 and HPV18, cause 70 percent or more of all
invasive cervical cancers and all HPV vaccine formulas protect against these
two. The nonavalent formula of the HPV vaccine is the most protective: it
protects against HPV16, HPV18 and five other cancer-causing HPV types.
As of June, 2017, only the nonavalent HPV vaccine is available
in the United States.
Experts
estimate that the nonavalent HPV vaccine could reduce HPV-related cancers
worldwide by 90 percent or more if the entire global population received it.
Several studies have shown the vaccine to be efficacious.
Studies have also shown its benefits and its harms to be similar
to many other vaccines that protect against infections.
Currently,
though, global HPV vaccination rates are low. The vaccine must be given in two
or three doses. This can prove difficult for teens and preteens who lack easy
and affordable access to a clinic and who do not receive regular medical
check-ups.
The article suggests giving the HPV vaccine with other childhood
vaccines as a critical strategy to lessen this burden. The article also cites
studies that have shown two doses to be as protective as three doses if
vaccination is started at a younger age.
The United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
now recommends two doses of HPV vaccine for both boys and girls, but only if
they receive their first HPV vaccine dose between ages 9 and 14. After a teen's
fifteenth birthday, the Committee still recommends three HPV vaccine doses.
The
article strongly recommends reaching out to parents, teachers, medical
providers and other community members to encourage HPV vaccination among teens
and preteens. Providers' support of using the HPV vaccine is linked to higher
vaccination rates, the article states.
The article goes on to say that providers' strong recommendation
for HPV vaccination is therefore key to protecting global populations against
HPV-related cancers.
"Cervical
and other HPV-related cancers are preventable," says Wheeler. "We have
the unprecedented opportunity to impact the global cancer burden and improve
people's lives and health everywhere."
Find
more information at: https://am.asco.org/prevention-hpv-related-cancers-case-global-equity-and-local-action