HPV - What About the Vaccination?

There are two approved vaccines for the preventioneliminate the two main viruses that cause cancer?
of HPV infection with the two main cancer causingEarly reports indicate that other strains that also
strains of the virus. Gardasil was first and wasinfect humans may become carcinogenic in
approved for use in women and girls ages 9-26. It isvaccinated women. Thus far the vaccine is unproven
only effective if you are not already HPV infected.in its effectiveness for men.
The trials of the vaccine on girls under age 12 wasA recent report analyzing the scenario that must
for immune response only so it is unknown if theoccur for the vaccine to be cost effective was done.
vaccine will actually be effective in that age group.The purpose of developing mathematical models is to
The actual clinical trails were conducted on womenhelp policy makers decide if this is a cost effective
between ages 16 and 26. The drug was approved inmethod to treat an illness when little is known about
June 2006 but the end points of the first phase 3how long it will do good and if perhaps it may do
trials were not reported until May 2007! The vaccineharm. The model being used now presumes life long
has been shown to prevent cervical lesions but it isimmunity (no needed booster), the same effect on
unknown if it will actually prevent cervical cancer.girls 9-12 as on older women, no other strains of HPV
We do not know how long the vaccine conferscausing any trouble, and that all vaccinated women
immunity. Will it be life long? If not, it is not as costattend screening for cervical cancer just as they did
effective to vaccinate as it is to screen for cervicalbefore vaccination. This chain of assumptions (and
cancer. It is well known that most infected womenthese are not all of them) was described by one
who become infected with HPV, clear the virus withinauthor as "quite optimistic". In other words for it to
2 years through normal immune function.be worth the cost of vaccination, all the assumptions
Another important point is, what happens when youmust occur, a highly unlikely occurrence.