Fitness and Health

Against cervical cancer
the human papilloma virus (HPV) are a family of viruses that have coexisted with humankind for tens of millennia. However, the discovery that HPV causes cervical cancer is relatively recent. This finding has been very important in the investigation of the past 25 years in terms of clarifying the causes of cancer, allowing the development of vaccines against HPV.

This vaccine is preventive, as indicated by Dr. Laia Bruni and Dr. Xavier Castellsagué, the Unitat d’Infeccions i Cancer (UNIC) Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO), a biological product that when administered, stimulates the creation of defenses specific against infection, with HPV in this case.

through vaccination, the immune system gets prepared to HPV infection. Thus, thanks to vaccination, when a vaccinated person is exposed to the virus quickly, the immune system can cope and avoid being infected, declared from the UNIC. In this way, it prevents disease caused by it, which in the case of HPV, can be as serious as cervical cancer, experts added.

Currently, there are two types of vaccines marketed: Gardasil ® protects against HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11, Cervarix ®, which acts against types 16 and 18. With this in mind, both protect against types 16 and 18 of HPV responsible for 70% of cases of cervical cancer. The docotra Bruni and Dr. Castellsagué say that both vaccines have proven highly effective and safe for prevention.

During the five-year follow-up of these two vaccines has been shown superior efficacy to 95% of patients with persistent infection with HPV 16 and 18 and a 100% protection against precancerous lesions associated with HPV 16 and 18. In addition, Gardasil ® has high efficacy in preventing genital warts and genital warts caused by HPV 6 and 11 and cancer of the vagina and vulva associated with HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.

although the duration is still unknown, is estimated to be very prolonged. Also considering the possibility that in the future be necessary boosters. In this regard, ICO experts believe that at the moment is not expected to be necessary and in any case be confirmed by the results to be offering the studies that are underway.

As for vaccine protection can say that is effective only against the diseases that HPV can cause. The doctors add that apart from being responsible for almost 100% of cervical cancers, HPV is also associated causally with 90% of anal cancers, with 40% of cancers of the vulva and penis, and with 100% of genital warts.

Notably, as indicated by the two investigators, neither vaccine contains live virus nor therefore it is quite impossible to become infected with HPV from their administration. Also, do not have serious side effects, appearing frequently as adverse reactions fever, moderate and self-limited, and local effects at the site of injection. These are similar to those that can offer other vaccines.

The high efficacy of the vaccine is unquestionable, however, it is necessary to know how to interpret the data, which shows high efficiency (approaching 100%) against precancerous lesions caused by HPV 16 and 18, which are covered cause the vaccine and 70% of cases of cervical cancer.

However, we must bear in mind that prevent 70% of potential cases of cervical cancer is really a milestone. As indicated Castellsagué Bruni, the challenge now lies in getting broad vaccine coverage in preadolescent girls.

In Spain, are diagnosed each year around 2,100 new cases of cervical cancer and about 740 women die for this very reason. This means two deaths a day because of this tumor, mostly preventable. We are facing a major scientific breakthrough that could spell the beginning of the eradication of a major cancer.