Health News

June 5, 2006

The cervical cancer vaccine that is expected to receive approval in the United States this week also appears to protect women against vulvar and vaginal cancers.

According to Finnish research presented Monday the Gardasil vaccine was 100 percent effective against vulvar and vaginal pre-cancerous lesions caused by HPV types 16 and 18. The vaccine is also 81 percent effective against all HPV types.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancers and is present in 80 percent of the 6,000 cases of vaginal and vulvar cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. Although less common than cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancers are becoming more common in young women.

The Gardasil vaccine, made by Merck & Co., was developed to target four strains of HPV, two of which (HPV 16 and 18) are linked to cervical cancer and two (HPV 6 and 11) which cause anogenital warts. Last month, an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that it be approved, which is expected to happen June 8.

Researchers also presented Phase III results of a second HPV vaccine, this one made by GlaxoSmithKline. All women in the study group demonstrated antibody response against HPV 16 and 18. The vaccine is very similar to Gardasil but does not target any HPV types other than 16 and 18.

For more on vaginal cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute.