In addition to preventing cervical cancer, the humanpapilloma virus vaccine may have the ability to prevent numerous other cancer-causing strains, according to a study published in the American Society of Microbiology journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.
Researchers conducted a clinical trial involving roughly 20,000 young women and found that Cervarix, the HPV vaccine, was extremely effective against the two HPV types that cause the vast majority (70 percent) of all cases.
Additionally, Cervarix protected 50 to 100 percent of the young women against other strains of HPV that can cause the precancerous transformation of cervical cells.
Researchers noted the vaccine was significantly more effective in young women ages 15 to 17 than in women ages 18 to 25, highlighting the importance of vaccinating patients early.
Although males were not included in the clinical trial, sexually transmitted HPV can cause anogenital and head and neck cancers in individuals, regardless of gender, according to the corresponding author Dan Apter, MD, PhD.
"The more adolescents are vaccinated, the closer we will be to eradicating high risk HPV viruses," said Dr. Apter. "So I think boys should also be vaccinated."
More articles on HPV and cervical cancer:
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FDA Approves DNA Test for Primary Cervical Cancer Screening