New Evidence Cervical Cancer Vaccine Works

Gardasil Protects Against Strains Of HPV That Cause Most Cases Of The Disease

(CBS)  The latest clinical trials on the new vaccine that guards against the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer hold good news for girls and women who've taken it or may take it, and for its manufacturer.

The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explains that Merck's Gardasil is meant to fight off certain strains of human papilloma virus (HPV), which is known to cause cervical cancer.

Though it remains controversial, there's fresh research that Gardasil is effective in fighting off HPV, Senay says, and the news appears to provide even more reason for young girls to be vaccinated, as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts recommend.

HPV is spread through sexual contact, and the strains the vaccine wards off are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, so getting vaccinated can significantly lower a woman or girl's risk of developing the cancer, Senay continues.

Early studies of the vaccine showed it to be so valuable in fighting cervical cancer that the Food and Drug Administration gave it fast track approval last June.

Clinical trials continued, Senay says, to confirm that everything was as it should be, and apparently it is. Among previously uninfected patients who received the vaccine, the protection rate after three years was 98 percent, according to results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. So the strains of the virus that account for seven-in-10 cervical cancer cases were effectively stymied.

The CDC recommends vaccination for all girls 11- and 12-years-old. Girls as young as 9 are eligible to receive it. Girls and women from age 13 to 26 are also urged to get it, if they still haven't been vaccinated. The exception to those guidelines involves women who are pregnant. They should wait until after the baby is born to be vaccinated.

The younger a woman or girl is, Senay notes, the greater the chance she isn't already infected with HPV. It's simple probability: The older she is, the more sexual encounters she is likely to have had, and that means more opportunities to contract the virus.

Senay stresses that the vaccine does nothing against infections that are already present. Its effectiveness is for patients who are virus-free. So, getting vaccinated while it's still early enough for the vaccine to do some good is important.

The age of the girls involved and the connection of the vaccine to sexual activity are contributing to an ongoing controversy over whether states and localities should mandate that they get Gardasil.

Senay also observed that, if a woman is vaccinated before she's sexually active, or at least before she's infected, she still can't be worry-free about getting cervical cancer. Roughly 30 percent of cervical cancers come from strains of HPV that are not diminished by this vaccine. So, no one should let her guard down. The American Cancer Society recommends cervical cancer screening, including a pap test, within three years of a woman's first intercourse, or by age 21, whichever comes first. Depending on the kind of pap test used, screening should continue either annually or every-other year.

After age 30, if tests haven't detected a problem, they can be spaced out even more. After age 30, women can also combine their pap tests with a second test that specifically detects the presence of HPV. The bottom line is to keep getting screened, because there's still a risk of developing the cancer. But all signs point to that risk diminishing sharply, if girls or young women have been vaccinated.

[godofredo29]

I know its fun to get all the political mileage out of the Gardasil controversy possible, but, in the meantime, there are a lot of us men out there who are going ahead and getting the vaccine ourselves. How is Merck and the FDA going to respond when it is finally okay'd as the only vaccine against penile and anal cancer for men, but release of the vaccine was delayed for them? A huge lawsuit would seem to be in order. This is not even to mention the indirect benefit it could have for women by having men recieve it as well.

[godofredo29]

I know its fun to get all the political mileage out of the Gardasil controversy possible, but, in the meantime, there are a lot of us men out there who are going ahead and getting the vaccine ourselves. How is Merck and the FDA going to respond when it is finally okay'd as the only vaccine against penile and anal cancer for men, but release of the vaccine was delayed for them? A huge lawsuit would seem to be in order. This is not even to mention the indirect benefit it could have for women by having men recieve it as well.

[godofredo29]

I know its fun to get all the political mileage out of the Gardasil controversy possible, but, in the meantime, there are a lot of us men out there who are going ahead and getting the vaccine ourselves. How is Merck and the FDA going to respond when it is finally okay'd as the only vaccine against penile and anal cancer for men, but release of the vaccine was delayed for them? A huge lawsuit would seem to be in order. This is not even to mention the indirect benefit it could have for women by having men recieve it as well.

[devbeth]

There is only so much vaccine that can be produced. Once the majority of young women receive the vaccine, it will be available to men and young men. Yes, it would be great for women if men would receive it as well. It seems amazing to me that a man could see a wart on his anatomy and not question it. If he would, and had it removed, the chances of him spreading it would be greatly reduced. A woman cannot see a wart on her cervix. Consistent use of condoms would also reduce the spread of this disease.

[afmca]

Once again the religious crazies will trot out their utterly useless arguement that this will promote pre-marital *** and try to stop girls from receiving the vaccine. When are we going to refute their lies concerning this vaccine, the success rate for abstinence only education, that contraception increases cancer risk, etc? If manufacturers lied as much as the religious right does concerning medicine and morals they would be sued into bankruptcy. Since we can't sue at least we can agree that their arguments have no merit and do more harm than good. I have no trouble with them basking in their ignorance but let our children learn the truth and then let them make their own decisions based on fact not religious fiction.

[godsmaverick]

How about waiting until marriage to be sexually active, enjoying one's spouse to the fullest, and then we can wipe put HPV without a vaccine. Having girls as young as nine vaccinated gives them an excuse to not worry about the long term effects of promiscuity.

[drinuk]

More poison junk from Big Pharma. They give us cancer, then sell us junk to prevent it, then when we have it they sell us more junk to get rid of it. They then successfully lobby government and the FDA to prevent us taking cheap natural cures they cannot obtain a patent on. Al Capone had nothing on these villians, Hoover got it right when he said the conspiracy is so great ordinary people cannot begin to comprehend the enormity.

[tucano2]

This "new" vaccine is made by Merck. It was tested in a very limited fashion by Merck. No surprise Merck thought Merck's product was ok. F.D.A. ok'd Merck's product even though no long-term effects had been studied. No surprise as Merck and BigPharma own the F.D.A. Merck's MMR vaccine long-known to cause deafness is still required by the States' Boards of Health and Education wherever these Boards have been paid off and owned by BigPharma. The only place children rendered deaf can bring a lawsuit is a Federal Court about 2 blocks from Mr. Bush's residence at our White House. A child versus up to 47 Federal attorneys in that court. Guess who owns that court? Try Merck's "new" vaccine? NO WAY.

[afmca]

Well godsmaverick soon answered from the side of the religious crazies. Once again he/she either lives in fantasy, denial, or with their head up their a**. So since abstinence is the only option they recognize, they will gladly let women die from a cancer they can be protected against. How Old Testament can you get. I pray you stay abstinent for your entire life so that these recessive genes leave the pool and your potential children won't have to suffer with your delusions.

[tucano2]

This "new" vaccine is made by Merck. It was tested in a very limited fashion by Merck. No surprise Merck thought Merck's product was ok. F.D.A. ok'd Merck's product even though no long-term effects had been studied. No surprise as Merck and BigPharma own the F.D.A. Merck's MMR vaccine long-known to cause deafness is still required by the States' Boards of Health and Education wherever these Boards have been paid off and owned by BigPharma. The only place children rendered deaf can bring a lawsuit is a Federal Court about 2 blocks from Mr. Bush's residence at our White House. A child versus up to 47 Federal attorneys in that court. Guess who owns that court? Try Merck's "new" vaccine? NO WAY.

[sunshie25]

Let's give godsmaverick a prize for solving the cervical cancer issue -----sarcasm, ain't it great? Here's a question, among thousands: What about divorce? And for the record, I highly doubt that vaccinating against one disease will istantly make these girls believe that it protects against everything. The parents are there to ensure that they DON'T believe that....

[sunshie25]

Let's give godsmaverick a prize for solving the cervical cancer issue -----sarcasm, ain't it great? Here's a question, among thousands: What about divorce? And for the record, I highly doubt that vaccinating against one disease will istantly make these girls believe that it protects against everything. The parents are there to ensure that they DON'T believe that....

[coltsfanto]

You can bet your life that if my girls were that age they would not get this vaccine, no way. Why don't the ads on tV state that HPV is a STD?? The ads are very deceptive. I don't trust this vaccine and they had better not make it a manadtory vaccine. Oxycoton worked too but look at what it does to people. We don't know enough about this vaccine to be giving it to our young daughters.

[coltsfanto]

Another thing, uterine cancer is down in women lately, and why is that I wonder? It's because women of our generation [baby boomers] are not using HRT. I wouldn't use HRT for a million bucks, they keep horses pregnant all year round, God only knows what happens to the colts of these pregnant horses, HRT is made from the urine of these pregnant horses. This vaccine is not a good thing at all.

[toni1757]

This is a good vaccine. It is not a green light for girls to be promiscuious, but a preventative measure. SOme of our daughters will marry as virgins but this vaccine can protect them from where their husbands may have been. It is our place as parents to educate our daughters with the help of our healthcare providers

[prosperine-2009]

I got my daughter the vaccine as soon as it was available.I have taught her good, christian morals and she knows right from wrong. She didn't want to get it, arguing that only sl**ts should get it, but I took her to the doctor and she had a talk with her; the ultimate decision was hers. I don't look at it as a "moral" issue as much as a health issue, and I agree, she can be a virgin and her husband could infect her. It's stupid not to protect her from a viruse that 70% of the population has at age 40 and 25% of her demographic.

[prosperine-2009]

I got my daughter the vaccine as soon as it was available.I have taught her good, christian morals and she knows right from wrong. She didn't want to get it, arguing that only sl**ts should get it, but I took her to the doctor and she had a talk with her; the ultimate decision was hers. I don't look at it as a "moral" issue as much as a health issue, and I agree, she can be a virgin and her husband could infect her. It's stupid not to protect her from a viruse that 70% of the population has at age 40 and 25% of her demographic has -- teenagers. That's 1 in 4 folks, even before these kids reach adulthood.

[prosperine-2009]

I got my daughter the vaccine as soon as it was available.I have taught her good, christian morals and she knows right from wrong. She didn't want to get it, arguing that only sl**ts should get it, but I took her to the doctor and she had a talk with her; ultimately the decision was hers. I don't look at it as a "moral" issue as much as a health issue, and I agree, she can be a virgin and her husband could infect her. It's stupid not to protect her from a virus that 70% of the population has at age 40 and 25% of her demographic has -- teenagers. That's 1 in 4 folks, even before these kids reach adulthood. And oh, about more poison junk by Big Pharma-- yes, they mess up sometimes but when is the last time someone you loved died from polio?

[gaye5]

afmca, had you thought that maybe this is one of the reasons that God told the people to abstain from *** until marriage.. could it be that time has proven that not having *** before marriage and not committing adultery stopped all sexually transmitted diseases???. Could it be that time has proven that children are traumatised for life when a marriage breaks up..
I dont think that these laws which were set down 4000 years ago are to stop us having fun butare there for our protection and for the security of our children, to stop disease and heartache... but today all this is counted unrealistic, but when eventually we wake up to the problems and deaths that happen from people having many partners and the damage which is done from adultery we might turn back the clock, hopefully not tooo far, I would hate to have lived in the Victorian days...but feel that we have gone far tooo far now... the world if full of damaged children which will eventually come back to bit us..
Neither my husband or I had had other partners before we were married, and after all these years I still love and respect him and so do our children..our children all wanted to marry virgins as they said that they didnt want used property.
now that will pull a lot of howls, screams etc.. but we are both very healthy and seem to never be sick, and they tell us that we look 10 years younger than we are.. mind you we also dont have immunisations.