New HPV vaccine may protect against 90% of cervical cancers

Conclusion This double-blind randomised trial has shown that the new HPV vaccine provides increased protection from additional strains of HPV that cause cervical, vulval and vaginal cancers. Strengths of the study include: Blinding of the pathologists to the vaccine type, and blinding of the participants (they didn't know which vaccine they had been given), which reduces any bias – a double-blind randomised controlled trial is considered the gold standard of how best to assess a treatment or intervention. The large number of women included in the study, with diverse ethnic backgrounds, makes it likely that the results would be applicable to most women in this age group. However, there are some limitations: It is widely reported in the media that the two vaccines offer the same protection for the original four HPV strains, but there was no direct comparison between the vaccines for their ability to protect against the four types of HPV virus. The comparison was restricted to incidence of invasive cancers and high-grade abnormalities, which may take longer to occur than the 4.5 years of the study's duration. The researchers acknowledge that longer studies are required, however. The study group were much older than the age of girls who are currently vaccinated, presumably so that they could provide their own consent to participate. This may have a bearing on the results. Further studies will be required to address these issues before it is known whethe...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news