Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Who, What, When and Why

The cervical cancer vaccine is the first vaccine designed to prevent cancer, which is why it’s been such a hot topic in the news lately.

 

It could have an extraordinary impact. In the United States alone, about ten thousand women a year are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and the disease causes up to four thousand deaths annually. Worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, in 2005 alone there were 500 thousand new cases of cervical cancer.

 

Because cervical cancer often affects young women, it often has tragic consequences – for instance, leaving young children without a mother or rendering a young woman infertile. It’s also the leading cause of cancer death in women, even higher than breast cancer.

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix, which is located at the back of the vagina and connects to the uterus.

 

Most cases of cervical cancer arise from certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is spread through sexual contact. Specifically, HPV-16 and HPV-18 cause about 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases. This vaccine blocks those two cancer-causing HPV types.

 

Even with the vaccine, it’s still important to practice safe sex and use protection. And it may surprise you to know how prevalent this virus is – about 20 million people in the United States are affected. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by age 50 at least 80 percent of women will have had an HPV infection.

 

But don’t panic just yet – most women with an HPV infection don’t develop cervical cancer. But this vaccine protects against the types of HPV that do lead to cancer.

The cervical cancer vaccine is recommended for 11- to 12-year-old girls, although it can be given to girls as young as nine. Why start so early? A girl’s immune system must be activated well before she comes in contact with this virus. In addition, giving the vaccine at this young age allows for the highest antibody levels, which provides greater protection.

 

The vaccine is given in three injections over the course of six-months.

 

The CDC recommends a catch-up vaccine for women ages 13 to 26 who either haven’t been vaccinated or who didn’t receive the full course of three injections the first time around.

 

The vaccine does not help people who have already been exposed to HPV.

In most tests it's been proven that the cervical cancer vaccine does not cause side effects, or side effects are extremely mild. Many women experience soreness at the injection site, which is common for many vaccines. The only other common side effect is flu-like symptoms or a slight fever.

One important piece of information to note – even if you have received the vaccine, you should still have regular Pap tests. Although the vaccine protects against the leading cause of cervical cancer, it doesn’t prevent all causes.

A debate about the benefits versus the dangers of the cervical cancer vaccine has been raging in the news. However, these dangers aren’t health related. In fact, the biggest group against the vaccine are social conservatives who believe it will encourage teenage girls to have sex.

 

Some of those who are for the vaccine, on the other hand, want it to become part of the required immunizations for all young girls that they receive just before puberty. But the conservatives feel that making it mandatory would be taken as a condoning sexual activity before marriage.

 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be responsible for issuing guidelines on how the vaccine is used. But under the Bush administration, conservatives have gained more power in Washington and will have influence over this committee’s verdict.

 

Cervical cancer experts and women’s health advocates are strongly in favor of making this vaccine mandatory for girls prior to puberty, when it will have the most affect on dropping cervical cancer rates. Social conservatives feel the vaccine is a useful public health tool, but they oppose making it mandatory since it shows that they expect teenagers to be sexually active – which they don’t want to encourage. But the executive director of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition equates that argument to wearing a seatbelt: "Just because you wear a seatbelt doesn’t mean you’re seeking an accident."

 

Other opponents believe the long-term effects should be studied further before making this vaccine mandatory. And some cite the high cost of the vaccine as another reason.

 

At this point, no one has been debating the effectiveness of the vaccine, which was approved by the FDA last year.

 

 

Mayo Clinic (2007). Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Who Needs It, How It Works. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-cancer-vaccine/WO00120.

Saul, Stephanie and Pollack, Andrew (February 17, 2007). Furor on Rush to Require Cervical Cancer Vaccine. New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from the New York Times Web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/17/health/17vaccine.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=0c86b6946d7d7117&ex=13293

68400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss.

Stein, Rob (October 31, 2005). Cervical Cancer Vaccine Gets Injected With a Social Issue. Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from the Washington Post Web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/30/AR2005103000747.html.

WebMD (2007). Cervical Cancer Vaccine: 12 Questions & Answers. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from the WebMD Web site: http://women.webmd.com/guide/20061201/cervical-cancer-vaccine-questions.