Gynecologic Health Gynecologic Cancers

Second Cervical Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise

(iVillage Total Health) - Women and girls hoping to reduce their risk of cervical cancer may soon have another option for protecting themselves. A second vaccine is showing promising results in preliminary clinical trials underway in nearly 20,000 people worldwide.

If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the new vaccine—called Cervarix—would join the Gardasil vaccine in the fight against cervical cancer. The disease is caused by abnormal, malignant cell growth on the cervix triggered by exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV). The FDA approval process may last into 2008 for Cervarix.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 11,150 new cases of invasive cancer of the cervix will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007 and approximately 3,670 women are likely to die from the disease this year.

Cervarix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, while Gardasil was developed by Merck pharmaceutical company. The addition of a second cervical cancer vaccine to the market may help reduce the price of the vaccines, which are expensive, require a series of three shots and currently not covered under many health insurance plans. Texas tried but failed in attempts to require the vaccine for school-aged girls.

The Cervarix trial is being conducted on 18,644 girls and women ages 15 to 25 on four continents. Interim results of the study were published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

Researchers found Cervarix was up to 90 percent effective in preventing cancer in participants who already had precancerous cervical lesions and 100 percent effective in preventing development of precancerous lesions in other participants. The drug was most effective in preventing HPV types 16 and 18. There are more than 100 different types of HPV. Types 16 and 18 cause nearly 70 percent of cervical cancers.

In addition, the trial has shown Cervarix may offer protection against HPV types 45, 31 and 52, which are responsible for persistent cervical infection.

"The findings are very encouraging because the women in the study are representative of the patients seen by physicians every day in their practice," Jorma Paavonen, the lead investigator, said in a press release. "This provides a strong indication that this vaccine can protect women from the infections that may develop into cervical cancer."

Because the vaccines do not protect against 100 percent of cervical cancers, the ACS stressed the importance of continued regular Pap test screening for sexually active girls and women—even after they are vaccinated.

The ACS recommends routine HPV vaccinations for girls 11 and 12 years old to protect them against HPV infection before they become sexually active. The approved Gardasil vaccine can be given to girls as young as 9 years old and approved is for women up to 26 years of age. According to the ACS, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend universal vaccination of women 19 to 26. The shots are not recommended for women over 26 or males.

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.