New cervical cancer vaccine licenced by EU

Q and A Gardasil Cervical Cancer vaccine

NOTE This article was produced on 27 September 2006 when the vaccine was granted its licence.

Cervical Cancer Vaccine
What Is It?
A new vaccine called Gardasil, has been licensed for production in Europe and the UK. It will prevent two of the main strains of HPV (human papilloma virus) developing, that causes 75% of cervical cancer.

What is HPV?

A group of viruses that are sexually transmitted that can cause infection in the skin surface of different areas of the body including the genital area. The virus can cause visible warts of the skin or may only cause microscopic changes in the cells of the skin. You need to be tested specifically for HPV for traces of it in your body, but a smear will pick it up if it has manifested itself into e.g.: lesions or genital warts.

How Does It Work?

Research showed that if 100% of all 12-year-old girls received the vaccine, there would be a 75% reduction in cases of cervical cancer and a 76% drop in deaths. HPV is an infection that is sexually transmitted, so the vaccine needs to be given to those who have not already got HPV and will therefore be given to girls before they become sexually active.

Note, the vaccine does not protect against all strains of HPV - but will provide 100% protection against the two main strains of it. (If a woman has one or more strains of HPV the vaccine will protect against the remaining ones but the level of protection can't be confirmed.

Women would still need regular smear tests that can spot early signs of the cancer (but it could reduce the frequency with which the tests are carried out). The vaccine will also protect against 90% genital warts - 50% vulval and vaginal cancers. The vaccine protects against some of the early lesions that may or may not lead to cervical cancer.

Who Can Get it?

If a woman has already caught one of the strains of HPV, Gardasil would not work against it. But the vaccine offers protection from further infection with the other types. The development of the jab has been controversial because some fear vaccinating girls as young as nine would encourage sexual promiscuity. The licence has been granted for vaccination of children and adolescents 9 to15 years, and adult females 16 to 26 years of age.

Currently the vaccine has been developed against cervical cancer for these age ranges, and trials have mostly been done on women. The trials for men are still ongoing and it is currently unlikely that they will be able to get this vaccine on any national programme at this stage.

When/Where is it available?

It will be available on prescription by GPs and private clinics, paying around £60 a time for three injections over a six-month period (total £180). It will currently not be available on the NHS but may be by next year after it has gone through a series of committees.

Detailed information
First vaccine for cervical cancer licenced by EU
This content was created on Wed 27 September 2006

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