HPV Vaccine Stops Cervical Cancer

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A recent study from researchers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., suggested genital skin cancer is three-times more likely to kill women than men. Doctors believe at least some cases of this rare cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus can hide out in the skin cells of unsuspecting men and women, waiting for decades before causing cancer. Elderly women, unfortunately, are more likely to die because skin cancers in the genital area often go undetected until it's too late.

Dr. Ault said it is still too early to say the HPV vaccine will wipe out cervical cancer. "There are about a dozen different types of HPV that cause cervical cancer, and we have the two worst ones in this vaccine, but there are still others," he said.

The vaccine is recommended for women ages 9 to 26. Three injections are given over six months.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Interview with Kevin Ault, M.D.; William Schaffner, M.D.; The New England Journal of Medicine, 2007;356:1915-1927