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Vaccines are one of the greatest successes of biomedical research and global public health. Today, at least nine major diseases, such as polio, smallpox and measles, are now either eradicated or have been controlled around the world.
The widespread use of vaccines as cost-effective public health tools has saved millions of lives and led to a great reduction and/or elimination of devastating diseases that were once common. Thanks to innovations of the 21st century, the next generation of vaccines are being introduced.
The availability of a cervical cancer vaccine marks an exciting time in women’s healthcare and is an important step in further reducing the burden of cervical cancer. Vaccination has the potential to help eliminate this major cancer.
Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with an extremely common and contagious virus, the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of HPV, most of which are benign and show no symptoms. However, some are more serious and may lead to cancer.
Although there are approximately 15 oncogenic HPV types, types 16, 18, 45 and 31 are responsible for 80 percent of all cervical cancers worldwide.
There is now a vaccine available to protect women against cervical cancer. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2006 for females aged nine to 26. This vaccine prevents infection from HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for approximately 70 percent of cervical cancers, and HPV types 6 and 11, which are responsible for approximately 90 percent of genital warts.
A second vaccine was submitted for FDA review in March 2007. The FDA submission includes data for HPV types 16 and 18, as well as data for other HPV types that can cause cervical cancer.
These vaccines are only used to prevent, not treat, cervical cancer. They protect against cervical cancer by stimulating the body's immune system to produce antibodies that help to prevent infection with some oncogenic types of HPV.
For more information about HPV and cervical cancer, please visit HPV and Cervical Cancer.
How the vaccines workCervical cancer vaccines work like other immunizations that prevent other viral infections. They are designed to specifically target HPV types that are contained in the vaccines.
The cervical cancer vaccines contain virus-like particles (VLPs), which mimic the unique surface components of HPV. The VLPs in the vaccines are noninfectious.
Once the vaccines are administered, the VLPs help the human body produce antibodies that prevent certain types of HPV infection and the development of cervical cell changes that may cause cervical cancer.
Women still are encouraged to undergo routine Pap tests (or other approved cervical screening tests) after vaccination.
Enabling accessCervical cancer vaccination represents a new generation of preventive healthcare for women and poses a unique set of medical, policy and fiscal challenges or changes that are necessary to ensure that women are able to realize the benefits of both vaccination and screening.
The Partnership has identified four major barriers to ensuring the inclusion of vaccination to prevent cervical cancer, along with screening, as part of routine preventive healthcare for all women in the United States and is working proactively to address these complex issues.
Minimizing health disparities that exist in the U.S. healthcare systemThe Health Disparities Committee is working to address health disparities among women in underserved communities, with a focus on access to cervical cancer vaccination and screening. Because cervical cancer deaths disproportionately occur in women of certain populations and geographic regions in the United States (e.g., African-American women in the South, Hispanic women along the Texas-Mexico border, white women in Appalachia, American Indians of the Northern Plains, Vietnamese-American women and Alaska Natives), this committee is working to ensure that all communities have equal access to the benefits of cervical cancer vaccination and screening.
Ensuring that health insurance coverage is adequate and reimbursement is in placeThe Access/Coverage for Vaccines Committee is working to educate public and private insurers about the benefits of cervical cancer vaccination and screening for populations without access to routine preventive healthcare.
Ensuring that all physicians in the United States who care for women embrace vaccination as a way of eliminating cervical cancerThe Medical Home for Adult Women Vaccination Committee is working with leading medical organizations to identify the most appropriate settings to vaccinate women in order to ensure access to cervical cancer vaccination, as well as focusing on increasing awareness among healthcare professionals of the benefits of cervical cancer vaccination when added to existing screening programs.
Developing educational tools to teach women about cervical cancerThe Cervical Cancer Education Committee is working to promote a widespread understanding of cervical cancer and the necessity of cervical cancer screening and vaccination as part of routine preventive healthcare for women in the United States, as the disease is not widely understood or even recognized as a threat in the United States. It aims to reach women of all socio-economic levels in a culturally appropriate way.
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