HPV Vaccines

In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, November 17; 353:2101, the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that using HPV and DNA testing offers the promise of virtually eradicating cervical cancer. On the other hand, without such interventions being employed, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, cervical cancer could increase four fold to a million annually by 2050 in most developing countries.

Since 70% of sexually active woman become infected with human papilloma virus, which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts, recent published trials of vaccines produced by two different pharmaceutical manufacturers that prevent HPV infection give much reason for hope. If the administration of vaccine diminishes to the extent predicted the incidence of human papilloma virus, the leading cause of cancer and precancerous change in the cervix, we will have made great strides towards dramatically reducing the threat of this disease and its destructive consequences to the 4,000 women in this country alone who succumb to the disease each year.