The HPV Vaccine and Its Effect on Cancer Screening and Prevention

The HPV vaccine and its effect on cancer screening and prevention

Introduction

Human Papillomavirus(HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) around 20 million people are infected with HPV and additional 6.2 million people are newly infected every year. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2003-2004 among sexually active women (57% of 14 to 19 years and 97% of 20 to 59 years) HPV was highest prevalent in youngest age group (40% of 14-19 years and 50% of 20-24 years). Infection rates decrease after age of 24 years. There are more than 100 types of HPV viruses out of which 40 cause genital infections. Out of these some 14 types of HPV are considered high risk because of their association with cervical and other genital cancers. CDC carried out a sentinel survey of cervical infections by high risk HPV in 2003-2005. They found that overall prevalence was 23%, and younger age groups from age 14 to 29 comprised more than half of cases. This survey also found that HPV 16 or 18 were found in 8% of cases.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) in a summary report in 2009 estimated that 11.4% of women in general population have HPV infection and 70.9% of invasive cervical cancers are due to HPV type 16 and/or 18. They have estimated that every year 493,243 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and out of them 273,505 die from the disease. In the world cervical cancer is ranked as second most common cancer in women and second most common cancer in women between ages of 15 to 44 years. In US according to WHO 13.3% women in general population have HPV infection and 76.6% cervical cancers are...

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...er some time and then better integration of vaccine and screening will be possible. There are some unanswered questions about vaccine that will become clear as the time goes by. After the introduction of HPV vaccine the whole strategy of cancer screening has to change. HPV testing should be included as the primary screening test and cytology should be used for patients who are positive on HPV test. This will decrease the rate of false positive cytology examinations and will be more cost effective.

Conclusion

Introduction of HPV vaccine has created an opportunity to further reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. Screening cytology needs to be continued along with the screening as vaccine does not cover all the strains that cause cancer. So both vaccination and cavcer screening has to be used together and cost effectively to fight against cervical cancer.