Cervical Cancer Vaccine Reported To Be 100%, But Eradication Is Still A Long Way Off
The first large study of the experimental cervical cancer vaccine found it was 100 percent effective, at least in the short term, at blocking the most common forms of cervical cancer.
The cervical cancer vaccine, known as Gardasil, is a genetically engineered vaccine which prevents cervical cancer by blocking infection with two viruses called HPV 16 and 18. These two virus together cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers.
The final-stage study of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil included more than 10,000 women ages 16 to 26 in the United States and 12 other countries. All were sexually active and were not infected with HPV 16 or 18. Half got three vaccine doses over six months; the other half received dummy shots.
After six months, none of the women who were virus free and who received the vaccine developed either cervical cancer or precancerous lesions likely to turn cancerous during a two year follow up. Twenty one women who got the dummy shots had a virus.
Merck & Co., the developer, jubilantly announced the results of their cervical cancer vaccine research on October 6th, 2005, saying that a 100% efficacy rate is extremely rare. A second analysis was also done, this time involving hundreds more women. It showed that the vaccine was 97 percent effective after just one dose. Only one of the 5,736 women who got the vaccine developed cervical cancer or precancerous lesions, compared with 36 among the 5,766 who got dummy shots. A Merck official called the 97 percent rate “real world,” since patients sometimes miss or delay follow-up shots or tests. Therefore, even though the vaccine is available, some women may not get it before they contract the disease.
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